The Tensai's Devil
by crystal arie
Summary: It's back! Well, I enjoyed making this fic so much that I want you guys to enjoy it as well. It's for all you RUHANA fans! Enjoy! ... Hanamichi's himself, Rukawa's the son of Satan... COMPLETE! (Patterned after a manga called 'Virgin Crisis')
1. Default Chapter

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part One**

Hanamichi Sakuragi sighed as he stared at the girl of his dreams from the classroom window on the 3rd floor. She was sitting with her 2 friends under a tree just outside the classroom Hanamichi was in, looking like a beautiful flower in a sea of grasses. Her long, brown hair moved with the wind as she laughed at a joke one of her companions told her. Her laughter floated in Hanamichi's ear as if it was music to his heart. He sighed again. He was in love with the most beautiful, delicate, and sweetest girl in Shohoku High... 

Haruko Akagi. 

He ran a hand lazily through his red hair and continued gazing at her, wondering when he was ever going to tell her of how much he liked her. He tried twice, but to no avail, nothing ever went out his mouth. He chuckled miserably. Right. The loudmouth of the century, the arrogant and strong Hanamichi everyone knew in Shohoku and in the Basketball world, couldn't even confess his feelings to a girl. How pathetic. 

He groaned, annoyed at himself. He called himself a tensai, but he couldn't even find a solution to a simple problem such as this. He buried his face in his arms, wondering what to do. 

"WOAH MAN! You two are going out?!" 

"Yeah! And all it took was 500 Yen!" 

Hanamichi's ear's perked up at that statement and he peeked out from the corner of his eye to watch two of his classmates grinning and slapping their friend in the back. He raised an eyebrow. _500 Yen? Going out?_

The leader of the group nodded his head and pulled out an old book. "This book cost me 500 Yen! And I thought it was full of bull man, I mean, casting spells and witchcraft stuff to get the girl of your dreams to notice and _like_ you! It's so stupid and childish! But hey, I gave it a try, and look! She came up to me yesterday afternoon and told me she liked me! HAHAHAHAHA!" 

Hanamichi was getting more and more interested. _Witchcraft and spells? Get the girl that you like to like you?_

"Hey man, what's the title of the book? I can't read English, ya know." Asked a very excited boy beside the leader. 

The leader grinned and said, "It's called 'The Underworld's Secret.'" He sighed. "Ya know, this was the second to the last copy there in that old bookstore called 'Rewebs'. Hell, it was about to be thrown away, but I-" 

Hanamichi couldn't wait anymore. In a flash, he passed the group and ran down the school stairs. It was still lunch break, so he had about 20 more minutes before break was over. That was enough time for him to get to the other side of town. With that, he ran down the street like a mad bull, hoping that the owner hadn't thrown the last copy yet. Even though he called himself a tensai, and knew that this was probably the most stupid thing to do in the world to get Haruko to like him, it was still worth a try. Besides, there was no risk involved. 

* * * * * * 

Camry Maxwell stepped out of her father's shop, known as 'Really Weird Books', but codenamed by many youngsters as 'Rewebs'. Even though it was a strange store field with strange books, Camry loved it. She practically grew up in it, besides the school and her house, and she was just as interested in every book as many young people her age were. 

She smiled. _No school today...meaning lot's of free reading time!_

"Hey Camry! Can you come in here for a second?" Her father, Alexander, called loudly from the back of the store. 

She turned away from the piles of books in front of her and made her way to the storage room, noting how dusty the entire area seemed to be. She cautiously poked her head in and saw her father rummaging through a box. "Yeah?" 

Alexander tossed her something and she deftly caught it, used to her father's actions. "This is one of the oldest books ever. Can you throw it away? It doesn't look like it will sell anyway." 

Camry turned the book over and read the title. 'The Underworld's Secret.' "Hmmm..." She mused for a while, then asked, "Hey dad, is it okay if I look this thing over before tossing it away?" 

"Yeah, yeah, sure, sure." Alexander replied gruffly, obviously not enjoying cleaning out old books. 

Camry made her way towards the counter and sat down on the chair, carefully opening the book from left to right. It was a logical action, since it was an English book, but what Camry found interesting and surprising was that the content was still written in Japanese. She read the top inscription, which was also in English, and murmured to herself, 

_

1. "He who opens this book must know the consequences of their act.  
2. He who recites the most powerful incantation and draws the most powerful symbol,   
which is located at the very last page, will release the most powerful force imaginable.  
3. He who seeks for his answer, will find it in time."

_

She shook her head at that middle part and blinked. "The most powerful incantation and symbol releases the most powerful force imaginable?" She didn't understand what it meant. She looked at the last paged nervously and swallowed. Well, there was only one way to find out. She drew her finger to the last page, held it, turned it over- 

"SUMIMASEN!!!!!" 

"Ack!" Camry instantly fell on her butt at that loud greeting and at the same time, dropped the book. She groaned, rubbing her backside when she felt pain emit itself from that area. "Damn...that hurt!" 

"Ah! Gomen!" The person replied. Then, before Camry knew it, she was being pulled off the ground and up to her feet. She staggered for a while, her back still recovering from the blow, and looked up to see fiery red hair. She blinked. _A gaijin?..._

Then, the stranger spoke, and Camry automatically knew he wasn't a foreigner. "I'm really sorry, but I'm in a hurry. Do you have a book called, 'The Underworld's Secret'? My classmate said he bought a copy of that book from here." 

Camry blinked at that and nodded, still staring at the tall boy. She was 5'7 inches tall, and she wasn't used to craning her neck up. But, hell, this guy was HUGE! She shook her head and turned around to retrieve the old book from the ground. She dusted the dust away from it, wondering why he wanted it. She shrugged at that thought and handed it to him. "Well, here ya go." 

"Thanks!" The guy answered cheerfully, searching his pockets for money. Finally, he drew out 500 Yen and place them on Camry's open palm as he ran away. "Ja ne! And sorry again for surprising you!" 

Camry waved at the stranger and smiled. "Funny guy." Then, she saw the money in her hand and sighed. "If he only listened to me, I could have told him that book was practically for free." But, what's done was done, and she place the money in the cash register. "Saa, time to start reading!" She jumped away from the counter and turned chibi, searching for a book to quench her curiosity. 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi was so excited and impatient as he waited for the day to finish. He had the book, he had an idea on who he wanted to like him, and all he had to do was follow the instructions in the book. That simple! He kept on shifting on his seat, turning his body from here to there, sighing irritably every moment...yup. He was desperate to get home. 

Yohei Mito watched his friend turn around for what seemed like the 8th time and asked, "Hanamichi, what's wrong?" 

"Eh?!" Hanamichi was surprised, as if Yohei had just popped out of nowhere and landed on the seat beside him. He chuckled nervously and shook his head. "Nothing. It's nothing, Yohei." 

"What do you mean it's nothing?" Yohei demanded, raising an eyebrow at his best friend. "You've been acting edgy since this afternoon." 

"I told you, it's nothing." Hanamichi replied sincerely, his eyes trained on the school clock. _Come on, come on..._

Yohei leaned in closer to his friend. "Hanamichi, tell me. I'm your best friend, and you can-" 

RING!!!!! 

Hanamichi stood up in a flash and grabbed his books, stuffing them into his bag quickly. "Sorry Yohei-gotta go-see ya tomorrow-don't wait up, okay-ja!!" Then, he grabbed his school jacket and ran out of the room, startling a few of their classmates on the way. 

Yohei stood up slowly from his seat and watched his friend run out of the school gate from the classroom window. He shook his head and sighed. "See ya then." 

* * * * * * 

"Okay, okay...first draw this, then write this..." 

Hanamichi had gotten home in record-breaking time. When he slammed the front door shut and ran towards his room, he didn't even bother to change into house clothes as he dumped his school bag on his bed and turned the book open, from right to left. He stopped on the first page and saw the English title, 'Finale'. He didn't understand what that meant, but he saw the drawing, the instructions, and right away decided this was the spell he was going to try. 

The first instruction was to draw the exact same picture in the book on the floor with a piece of chalk. Hanamichi finally completed that task and read on. The second instruction was to step into the center of that drawing without touching or destroying any of the lines and patterns he has drawn. He did that too. Finally, the last instruction was to recite the sacred incantation with his eyes closed. 

Hanamichi read the incantation over and over again in his head, trying to memorize it. When he finally got all 5 lines, he put the book away, closed his eyes, and whispered the incantation. When he was on the 2nd line, he felt something lighting up around him, but he didn't open his eyes. When he as on the 4th line, he felt something soft brush his cheek. Again, he didn't open his eyes. When he finally recited the 5th and final line, he felt something pass him, and he instantly opened his eyes. 

The room was still the same, the sun was setting over the houses, and the room was still lit. Crows were perched outside on the electric wires, and a cat was walking on the side of an apartment. Honks from the street made its way towards his ears, and the sound of people talking to each other could be heard clearly. He waited for a few minutes, expecting something to happen, _anything_ at all. Nothing... 

He sighed and shook his head angrily. "Who am I kidding? This was just a waste of my time." He stood up from his position, stepped over the drawing he made on the ground, and went towards the bathroom to get a piece of cloth to wipe the drawing he made. But before he could get there, the window behind him burst open and a voice said, 

"What do you want, mortal?" 

Startled, Hanamichi turned around and gaped at what he saw. There, standing by his window, was a man with long, black hair, black clothes, and black boots. Almost everything on and around him was black. Even his own aura, which Hanamichi couldn't help but notice, was black. But that wasn't what shocked Hanamichi. The man, the man had... 

Black wings. 

Hanamichi stared at the pair of wings that were tucked comfortable behind the young man's back, and lifted his eyes. It crashed with ice, blue one's, and he momentarily lost his breath and felt his knees buckle. He was beautiful! Even though he was dressed entirely in black, the color of the setting sun and the sea behind him gave him a very beautiful look. Hanamichi bit his lips. _Damn! What's wrong with me?!_ He leaned against the wall for support and managed to gasp out, "Who-who are you?" 

The man smiled wickedly and whispered, "Kaede Rukawa, son of Satan." 

**TBC**

Camry: Hehehehe! Gomen! Couldn't help putting myself in the story! ^_^ Anyway, what do you think? REVIEW please! Oh, and Rukawa will be OOC for the next chapters okay? REVIEW!! 


	2. Chapter Two

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Two**

"Kaede Rukawa, son of Satan." 

If it had been any other guy besides Hanamichi, he would have died of a heart attack right there and then. Or maybe he would turn as white as a sheet of paper and literally flutter out of the window if a breeze were to pass by. If it had been a girl, she might have screamed like mad until she lost her voice, she might have run away, or, she might have just stared with a drooling face and heart-shaped eyes, wishing that the image of the beautiful devil would stay forever. But since it was Hanamichi... 

None of the above was done. 

Instead, he composed himself and stared back evenly at the so-called son of Satan. He blinked, face showing plain curiosity. "What did you say?" 

The devil shook his head in annoyance and stepped into the room, his boots making minimal sound on the floor. Hanamichi backed up unconsciously as the man came closer, his black coat moving around his body. When Hanamichi's back was once again pressed against the wall, the devil place a hand on one side of Hanamichi's face as he leaned in, his nose nearly touching Hanamichi's. When he answered, his voice sounded so soft, but dangerous. 

"You heard me, mortal." 

"Yes, I-I know that." Hanamichi managed to reply, thankful that his lips didn't brush against the other man's. He warily stared back at the cold, blue eyes. "I-I'm just doubtful about your answer, is all." 

The guy snorted at that reply, but he didn't back off. Instead, he pressed his lower body against Hanamichi's comfortably, eliciting a surprised yelp from the redhead. When Hanamichi tried to draw away, the devil caught his head and drew it forward, so that their noses brushed against each other, and when the dark haired man spoke, his breath touched Hanamichi's lips. "I don't care what you think. I am here to do whatever it is you want me to do for exactly 2 weeks, and then, I'll be off. And until that time comes, you shall address me as Rukawa. Nothing more, nothing less. Understood, mortal?" 

Hanamichi should have been frightened by that dangerous look on Rukawa's face, but instead, he twisted his head out of Rukawa's grip and retorted, "And until that time comes, you should know that my name isn't 'mortal', but Hanamichi Sakuragi." 

Rukawa raised his eyebrows at that slowly, then stepped away from Hanamichi. When Hanamichi breathed a sigh of relief, Rukawa turned around to watch him and asked, "Well, what do you want?" 

"Eh?" Hanamichi raised his head to regard the other man. 

When he didn't reply, Rukawa gave a very sexy grin and sauntered forward, once again, trapping Hanamichi against the wall. "If you wanted to have a sex slave, by all means, I'm here. However..." He hooked his finger around Hanamichi's coat and twirled it around, making Hanamichi's blush darken even more. "If you wanted someone to own you, I think I would like that even more." 

Hanamichi blushed beet red at that response and tried to search for a way out. When Rukawa traced Hanamichi's neck with his finger, Hanamichi moved away and at the same time grasped Rukawa's hand in his, trying to slow his heart. He cleared his throat and averted his eyes so he wouldn't see the hungry and sexy look Rukawa gave him. "You-you said you were Satan's son. Does that mean you're royalty or something? If so, why are you here?" 

Rukawa didn't seem interested in the question, but nevertheless, he answered, pushing Hanamichi back against the bed. "You recited one of the most powerful and strongest incantations. The result is that you get something with equal force." He pushed Hanamichi on the bed, gaining a surprised shout from the redhead. Rukawa grinned when he saw the figure of his new master. Not bad for a mortal...not bad at all... 

Hanamichi tried to back away from Rukawa when he saw those long, smooth fingers move their way towards his shirt. "A-and how many times ha-have you been called? Am I your ma-master of some sort?" 

"Hai..." Rukawa shrugged, licking his lips when he saw Hanamichi's skin. "The last time I was called was during 5873. An old woman." He hastily ripped Hanamichi's shirt off, making the redhead shout again. He moved over Hanamichi's body, his own lithe body aligning it with the redheads. "Now, enough talking and let's get into the action." 

"Then if I am your master," Hanamichi gasped when Rukawa lowered his head to kiss his chest. "I-I ORDER YOU TO STOP!" 

Rukawa blinked at that, but he stopped. When neither of them moved from their positions, Rukawa shifted and place his head between Hanamichi's neck and shoulder, sighing as he did so. "You want the girl, right?" 

Hanamichi was surprised at that statement, but he slowly nodded. "Yes." 

Rukawa grinned at that, then nodded back. He got off Hanamichi's body and walked towards the window, fixing his cloak on the way. When he lifted his body up, he whispered calmly but loudly enough for Hanamichi to hear, "I will do my best to make your wish come true, Hana, but for the meantime, I will be watching over you." Then, in a flurry of black feathers, he was gone. 

Hanamichi was left there, ripped shirt dangling from the sides of his arms, as he laid sprawled against the pillows, his breathing labored. He looked at where Rukawa had disappeared from and groaned, leaning his head back. "Damn that...kitsune." Then, he just realized something and his entire body shot off the bed. "HANA?! He called me-What the hell?!" 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi could hardly sleep a wink last night, not only because of the absurdity of what he had done, or what had happened after that, but because of what Rukawa said. It was supposed to be comforting in a sense, but for Hanamichi, it was downright nerve racking. He shuddered every time he thought of it. 

_I will be watching over you._

Hanamichi groaned. He was a DEVIL, for God's sake. No! Correction. For Satan's sake. ARGH! This was getting really confusing! Devils don't _watch_ over people. They HARM them! Or worse, they kill them when they aren't looking. Argh! What has he done?! Hanamichi had a hard time changing into his pajamas, feeling that Rukawa might pop out and kill him any second. It was even harder to sleep. But somehow, he managed, and he dreamt of nothing else but Rukawa holding a scythe over his head. 

Hanamichi woke up the next morning with eye bags under his eyes, his face deadly white, and his hair all mussed up. He sat up for a while and took in everything around him. Nothing unusual. He sighed and plopped his head on the pillow, snuggling deeper into it. "A dream..." He murmured to himself. "It was all just a dream..." 

"Are you sure about that?" Someone said beside him. 

"Huh?" Hanamichi opened his eyes at that and stared back at blue eyes. His voice got caught in his throat when he saw that Rukawa was floating beside him on the bed, his wings spread out. Hanamichi stared harder, and still the image didn't disappear. _Sou na..._

Rukawa raised an eyebrow. "What can't be?" 

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Hanamichi toppled out of the bed and into the far side corner of his room, mouth gaping open as he pointed a finger towards Rukawa. "You-you-you-you-you...!" 

Rukawa shook his head, wincing a little. "Damn, you scream loud." He got off the bed and walked towards Hanamichi. 

Hanamichi 'eeped' and backed away. "Do-don't come any closer! I DON'T WANNA DIE!!!" 

Rukawa stopped in front of him and gave a sigh of irritation. "One minute you call me out from the Underworld to help you, and the next, you want me to kill you. Which is it, Hana?" 

Hanamichi was stunned. "HELP ME?! YOU JUST WANT TO KILL ME!" 

"Enough with this. It is time for you to go to school. Take a bath." Rukawa urged, reaching out for Hanamichi. 

Hanamichi jumped away started to run towards the door. "NO WAY! YOU JUST WANT TO KILL ME WHEN I'M IN THE SHOWER!!" 

Rukawa snorted. "Stupid mortal." Then, he lifted his pale arm again and did something that shocked Hanamichi to the core. His hand glowed a strange neon light and before Hanamichi knew it, he was being lifted off the ground and into the air. He started twisting around viciously, but Rukawa held him still. "Now, now, if you don't want to die, just lay still." 

Hanamichi went dead still. 

Rukawa nodded. "Good. Now, don't move." With a flick of his wrist, all of Hanamichi's clothing disappeared, leaving him naked on the air. Rukawa couldn't help but stare at the form of his master. _Damn, he's good looking._ His eyes drew down to _that_ area and he licked his lips. _VERY good looking._

Hanamichi was screaming like nuts. "ARGH!!! You liar! You're not only going to KILL me, you're going to RAPE me first!" 

Rukawa chuckled, amused at how the redhead managed to captivate his attention and still amuse him. He place down his hand and watched as Hanamichi slowly lowered to the ground. He moved towards his master. "I told you, I won't kill you. Now, go in the bathroom and take a bath." 

"Hah! You think I don't know your plan! Well, I am a TENSAI! And I know-" Hanamichi's sentence was cut short when Rukawa all of a sudden leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, making him go still and feel all funny. His stomach started contracting, his muscles became flaccid, and his breathing just stopped. He could only stare in shock as Rukawa continued to kiss him, making him senseless. 

When Rukawa finally released Hanamichi's lips, he smiled sexily at his master and whispered, "Do you want me to do that again?" 

Hanamichi immediately stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door when he was in. He heard Rukawa laugh from the other side of the door, and he place his face in his hands, unable to believe what had just happened. _Oh my God, he kissed me, he actually KISSED me! I must have been CRAZY to allow him to do that! Hell! He must have slipped poison or something into my mouth! But hell..._ He touched his lips softly, and blushed. _That was some kind of kiss..._

"And if you don't take a bath, I'll do more than just kiss you, Hana." Rukawa said from the other side. 

Hanamichi started at that and went into the shower, cursing as he did so. "Damn that kitsune, kissing me first, then being able to read my mind...Damn him..." He felt the water hit his body, and his angry face slowly disappeared as he thought of that kiss again. He sighed and leaned his head against the wall. _Kitsune..._

* * * * * * 

Rukawa knew what Hanamichi was thinking at the moment, and couldn't help a self-satisfied smirk from making its way towards his lips. His beautiful redhead...whether Hanamichi knew it or not, it was the other way around. HE was the master, while Hanamichi was the servant, and soon, he too will fall into the dark side and become like him. When Rukawa thought that, he couldn't help but feel...strange. 

Whoever opened that book and read the last incantation perfectly would indeed get their wish, however, the price would be that they would be damned too. They will die whenever death wishes to get them, and they will never see the light again. 

Rukawa knew he shouldn't be feeling anything towards a mortal, but this mortal was...different. He had a certain aura around him, and he made Rukawa feel... 

Rukawa shook his head. _No. This was part of the deal._ Even though he said that, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the redhead. He doesn't know. Nobody knew of this until they took their last breath. He sighed and sat down on the bed, drawing his wings in as he did so. To see Hanamichi die, to see Hanamichi's light vanish, seemed wrong... 

Rukawa narrowed his eyes. He was a devil, for Satan's sake! He shouldn't care about any mortal. He shouldn't. So why- 

His train of thought stopped when the bathroom door opened and Hanamichi came out, his lower body covered by a towel. He felt his heart jump at the image Hanamichi presented to him, and he felt desire surge through his body. _Beautiful...How can a mortal be so beautiful?_

Hanamichi looked around the room, and when his eyes landed on Rukawa's he blushed prettily. "Uh, ano...can you, close your eyes for a while?" 

Rukawa felt his mouth turn into a sly grin at that modest request, but his mouth inside was grim. _You will die soon after you get your wish, Hana...And I'm not sure you will live a very happy life for some time._ And with that, he closed his eyes, deciding to give Hanamichi whatever piece of happiness he wanted until that time came. 

**TBC**

Camry: Hello! ^_^ Well, what do you think? REVIEW please! I get more and more inspired when there are more REVIEWS, so please...REVIEW my story! And don't worry, it will have a happy ending...I hope. ^_^ 


	3. Chapter Three

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Three**

Hanamichi looked up at Rukawa's face as he finished buttoning his shirt. "You're not going to do anything to her?" 

"For today, no" Rukawa replied, watching the way Hanamichi's fingers trembled as he struggled to button his school shirt in haste. He grinned, knowing that he was the reason why Hanamichi was so jittery. "I have to gather information on this 'Haruko Akagi' first, then I will know what method to use on her. I, unlike the rest of those lower class demons, do things with style." 

Hanamichi chuckled, somewhat becoming at ease with Rukawa for the time being. "So, you don't just snap your fingers and *poof!*, the girl of your dreams fall's in love with you?" 

Rukawa shook his head. "No, that would be too simple. Your top button is wrong." He pointed out calmly. 

Hanamichi looked down and saw the mistake he made. He fixed it carefully and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, turning his body to every position possible. Then, he ran his hand through his hair and gave a thumbs-up at himself. "Okay! Hanamichi Sakuragi is ready!" 

"Matte." Rukawa said softly, moving away from the window towards Hanamichi. When Hanamichi backed away from Rukawa, Rukawa sighed and muttered, "I'm just going to fix your hair." Then, with an elegant move, he place himself close to Hanamichi and wove his fingers through that red hair that captivated him so much. He brushed it back twice, and moved some strands to the side. When he looked his work over, he nodded. "There, all better." 

Hanamichi was blushing deep red, very conscious that Rukawa's neck was right in front of his eyes. When Rukawa backed away, he swallowed and got out, "Uh...arigatou..." 

Rukawa drew his hands down from Hanamichi's hair and held the redhead's face carefully. When Hanamichi jumped at that action, Rukawa merely smiled and whispered, "You won't be able to see me today in school, but I assure you, I will be watching over you." 

Hanamichi's eyes widened at that as he gasped out, trying his best not to pay attention to the way Rukawa was brushing the sides of his cheek, in a loving gesture, with his thumb. "You know, you keep on saying that you're going to watch over me. Haven't you realized that you're a...devil?" 

Rukawa smiled at that and drew his face closer to Hanamichi's, causing Hanamichi to blush beet red. When his nose touched the tip of Hanamichi's, he murmured, "I have a duty to make your wish come true. That is that. And for the record, I won't just be watching over you the whole day. I'll be gathering information about your darling Haruko." 

"I-I see." Hanamichi mumbled, his attention squarely on Rukawa's blue eyes. He stared at them. _How can a devil have such beautiful eyes?_

Rukawa grinned. _It's a genetic thing, Hana. I thought that you were the tensai?_

Hanamichi blushed and glared back at Rukawa. _You know, it's not nice to pry into people's heads._

_Hey, I AM a devil, as you said so yourself. I don't consider myself nice._

Hanamichi grunted. _Right. You consider yourself the most powerful and beautiful, the mightiest and the smart. Hell, you even consider yourself as the tempter of temptations. Isn't that right?_

When Hanamichi thought of the second to the last thought, Rukawa's eyes gleamed diabolically, and he leaned forward, his hands still cupping Hanamichi's face. _Well, hearing that from your own perspective, how about I tempt you into something right now?_

"Eh?" Hanamichi said out loud, not quite understanding what Rukawa meant. When he saw Rukawa close his eyes and lean forward, he got the message and instantly jumped away, running towards the door at the same time. He got the door open, grabbed his bag from the floor, and shouted, "I'M OFF!" Then, he slammed the door shut, ran down the stairs, and was out of the house before anyone could say 'ja'. He ran all the way up the hill and towards the school, unaware that a pair of blue eyes were trained on him from his own room. 

Rukawa grinned, and he couldn't stop an amused string of chuckles from slipping past his lips. "Do'aho..." Then, his face had a tender look on it as he leaned back, still being able to see the face of Hanamichi even from a great distance. He saw the blush still present on the redhead's face, and he whispered silently to himself, "My do'aho..." 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi tapped his finger anxiously against his school, eyes never wavering from the back of his classmate's head. He sighed. _I still can't believe I have called Satan's son for help. Lucky me._ He sighed again and closed his eyes, trying to push the image of Rukawa looking so tempting and devious out of his mind. He shook his head, but the image of that stupid kitsune kissing him still remained. He dropped his head down to the desk. _Dumb kitsune..._

Yohei had been watching his best friend ever since he entered, and found that the usually sleeping Hanamichi was replaced by a very anxious and wary Hanamichi. He didn't know what Hanamichi was so uptight about, but whatever it was, he was definitely going to find out. 

The bell rang then, signaling the end of the morning classes and time for lunch break. Everyone stretched their stiff bodies and started piling out, making their way to the cafeteria. 

Hanamichi stayed on his seat, not moving, not saying anything. He was just looking out of the window as if he has never seen the sky before. 

Yohei stood up from his place and stood in front of Hanamichi's face. When Hanamichi still made no move, Yohei sighed and knelt down in front of his friend. "Hanamichi?...Hanamichi!" 

"Huh? Oh? What?" Hanamichi finally broke out of his trance and looked straight at his best friends glance. He smiled good naturedly, trying to cover up his being inattentive. "Hey there, Yohei. What's up? Shouldn't you be downstairs eating lunch? If you're wondering why I'm not, I just have no appetite." 

"No, Hanamichi, that's not why I'm still here." Yohei answered seriously. 

"Oh..." Hanamichi took in Yohei's serious look and leaned back. "What's on your mind then?" 

Yohei took a deep breath as he seated himself on the seat in front of Hanamichi. "You've been acting weird since you came back from wherever you went yesterday afternoon. What happened?" 

Hanamichi's face drew in guiltily, but he shook his head, and gave Yohei an innocent look. "Nothing, Yohei. I told you that already." 

"Oh really?" Yohei pushed in deeper, noticing the way Hanamichi was getting uncomfortable with the conversation. 

Hanamichi was not used to Yohei being so demanding, so he didn't know how to weave his way out. He knew he could trust Yohei, and that Yohei was his best friend, but...who would believe this story? Finally, after a few minutes, he sighed as he murmured, "You'd never believe me anyway." 

"Try me." 

Hanamichi sighed again, looked at his best friend's concentrated face, and blurted out, "I called the son of Satan from the Underworld to help me." 

Yohei didn't say anything for a while. His face was blank as he stared back at Hanamichi, trying to digest what his best friend just said. When he finally got it set in his mind, he leaned in and repeated, "Son of Satan?" 

Hanamichi nodded and started to explain. "Yes. You see, yesterday, one of our classmates was bragging about how he got the girl of his dreams to say that she liked him. Well, you know that I like Haruko, so I thought that I'd try whatever he did. He said that he got a book from 'Rewebs' called 'The Underworld's Secrets', and if you read an incantation from it, the girl will like you. But when I did the exact same thing, Kaede Rukawa, the son of Satan, comes out and tells me that he will be the one to help me. And so far, that's what has been bothering me." 

Yohei looked as if he was in deep thought, sorting out whatever Hanamichi said into each part of his brain. Hanamichi was worried. _Does he believe me?_

Finally, Yohei sighed and looked up to face Hanamichi. "So, that's it?" 

"Eh?" 

"This Rukawa guy, and the whole help thing, that's what has been bugging you?" Yohei asked. 

Hanamichi tipped his head back for a while, then nodded. "Yeah, I think so." 

Yohei shrugged at that reply then stood up. "Well then, I think you don't have to worry that much, Hanamichi. I mean, he didn't kill you." 

Hanamichi's eyes widened in happiness, almost like a child's eyes when his parents believed he didn't tell a lie. "So, so...you believe me?" 

Yohei snorted. "Doshite Hanamichi?" 

Hanamichi jumped up from his chair and hugged Yohei tight, his laughter bouncing around the empty room. "I'm so HAPPY! I thought that I couldn't trust anyone to believe this story, but YOU do! I can't believe it! You believe me! Oh, thank GOD!" 

Yohei patted him on the back. "How can I not believe you Hanamichi?" 

"Huh?" Hanamichi was too happy to notice the way his friend stiffened under his touch. "What do you mean by that?" 

"Hanamichi, does this Rukawa person have long black hair, blue eyes, black outfit, and black wings?" 

Hanamichi was impressed. He drew back to look at Yohei's face in awe. "WOAH! You're one smart guy! Wow! How'd you know that's what he looked like?" 

"Coz he's right behind you." 

Hanamichi stiffened at that and he slowly pulled away from Yohei, at the same time, whispering, "What...did...you...say?" 

Yohei pointed to something at Hanamichi's back. "I said, he's right behind you. Rukawa, that is." 

Hanamichi immediately spun around, and his chocolate brown eyes once again clashed with ice, blue one's. He felt faint. Kaede Rukawa was floating on mid-air, his wings spread out, his hair moving with an unseen and unfelt force, and his entire body was glowing with his dark aura. Hanamichi gaped. "You-what-I...How-?" 

Rukawa shrugged and moved down until his feet touched the floor. "I told you I would be here." 

"I-I-I know that!" Hanamichi managed to get back his bearings and strode forward, hooking his hands under the collar of Rukawa's coat. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Anyone can see you! Hell! Yohei can see you!" 

Rukawa eyed Yohei dangerously. "Mito...Yohei...right?" 

Yohei backed away, a little unsure of being in the presence of Satan's son. "Ha-Hai?" 

Rukawa took in Yohei's form, sizing him up, and when he saw that the boy was no threat, he grinned. "Good thing you don't like Hana here. I'm a very possessive lover, you see. I don't share my sex toys with anyone." 

Hanamichi's mouth dropped open. 

Yohei looked deadly pale. 

"IT'S NOT TRUE!!!!" Hanamichi yelled at the top of his lungs, sure that the entire school heard that. He turned to Rukawa and shouted, "What the hell are you talking about?! I can't believe you! You really are a devil! I hate-" 

"Yohei-kun, would you mind leaving me and my lover alone for a moment?" Rukawa asked politely, a diabolical grin on his face as he grabbed Hanamichi and hugged the redhead to him in an intimate gesture. Well, almost intimate, since Hanamichi was sputtering like mad at the action. 

Yohei looked at Hanamichi's red face, uncertain if he should leave his friend alone with the so-called son of Satan. When he was about to answer, he felt rather than heard, a voice inside his head. _Leave us alone...go downstairs and eat your lunch..._

"Hai." He mumbled out loud. Then, he walked away, making Hanamichi stop hissing and throwing curses to watch his best friend walk out. 

"Yohei? Yohei!" When Yohei was finally gone from hi site, leaving him and Rukawa alone, he burst free from Rukawa's hold and glared. "Why'd you do that? Did you put him under some trance? What the hell was that act?! I AM NOT YOUR LOV-" 

"Shut up." Rukawa muttered, eyes deadly pale when he said that. 

Hanamichi stopped talking and stood back. 

Rukawa came closer, forcing Hanamichi to back up towards the wall. When Hanamichi's back made contact with the cool cement, Rukawa place one arm at the side of Hanamichi's face, covering him from the view of people. Hanamichi looked straight at Rukawa, furious as hell fro what had just happened, but also scared to do anything. Instead, he settled for staring in silence. 

Rukawa bent his head down until his lips met Hanamichi's. When Hanamichi cried out and tried to break away, noticing how his knees were starting to weaken, and how his heart was beating rapidly. He grasped Rukawa's arm and squeezed hard, trying to break their kiss, but Rukawa saw that action coming and trapped the arm, forcing Hanamichi to open his mouth. He slipped his tongue in he hot cavern, making Hanamichi buck in surprise, but the shock quickly turned into a moan. Hanamichi stayed still as Rukawa continued to kiss him in the most wicked and devious ways. 

Finally, Rukawa drew away, their noses still touching. Hanamichi tried to regulate his breathing as Rukawa bent down and gave a chaste kiss on the now swollen lips. Hanamichi didn't turn away. Rukawa grinned and murmured, "I want you." 

Hanamichi closed his eyes shut, but when Rukawa kissed him, tracing his lips with his hot tongue, Hanamichi opened his eyes to stare back at Rukawa's. They released each other's lips, and Hanamichi slowly slumped back, his mind in a whirl, and his senses all scrambled up. 

Rukawa pressed his body closer to the redhead's, feeling every contour, every line, and every muscle. He grounded their erections together, and whispered sexily in Hanamichi's ear, "Do you want me?" 

Pushing away all the doubts and all his fears, Hanamichi nodded in reply, and grabbed Rukawa's head, making their lips fuse against each other again. Hanamichi ran his hands roughly against Rukawa's back, his hunger and need rising. When he pushed his own tongue in Rukawa's mouth and hummed in pleasure, Rukawa smirked and leaned in to the kiss, thoroughly enjoying himself. 

"Hanamichi-kun, are you he-OH!" 

Hanamichi broke off his passionate kiss when he heard that voice, and his eyes trained themselves on the small figure by the door. He gasped. 

"Haruko-chan?!" 

**TBC**

Camry: Wahahahahahahahaha!!! Did you like it? Or were you annoyed that I stopped there? Anyway, what did you think of the chapter? In other words...REVIEW please! ^_^ 


	4. Chapter Four

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Four**

"Haruko-chan?!" 

Hanamichi stared in shock as the girl of his dreams stood there by the door, watching him with silent eyes. He trembled, both from her gaze and from what she thought of the situation at present. He felt beads of sweat travel down the side of his face, his back still against the wall. His breathing was erratic, and his chest was moving up and down at a rapid pace. 

Haruko stepped into the room and asked, "Sakuragi-kun...are you okay? You look sick." 

"Nani?" Hanamichi gasped out. _What is she talking about?! Can't she see Rukawa? That I was KISSING him?!_ He turned to regard the devil in front of him, but his eyes met nothing but thin air. He looked around wildly, searching for a sign of a shadow or something black. He moved away from the wall. "Where did he go...?" 

Haruko came forward and regarded her classmate with concerned eyes. "Hanamichi, I came here to ask you if you have seen Mito-kun, but you were leaning against the wall as if you were having a hard time breathing. Oh!" She reached out and felt Hanamichi's forhead. "You're burning! You have a fever!" She held Hanamichi's arm firmly and started pulling his limp body towards the door. "Come on! You have to rest, Sakuragi-kun." 

"Huh? What?" Hanamichi was still searching the room for Rukawa, unable to believe that Haruko didn't see him. 

Haruko pushed him out of the classroom door and towards the clinic. "Come on, Sakuragi-kun, we're almost there." She encouraged, holding on to Hanamichi's arm in case he would fall. 

Hanamichi's vision was beginning to get blurry, but he managed to get out, "Haruko-chan...did you see...someone with me...in the room...?" 

"What are you talking about, Sakuragi-kun? You were all alone in there. Oh no." She touched his neck and gasped. "Your fevers getting worse! Come on!" 

"I...was all...alone..." Hanamichi mumbled, then, without wanting to, his vision blackened and he fell to the floor. All he heard in the background of his consciousness was Haruko shouting his name in a panicked voice, then, a soft voice whispered, _Sorry for giving you a fever, Hana, but I had to make an excuse on why you were blushing so hard._

Hanamichi groaned. _Kitsune?..._

Rukawa's face appeared in his mind and said, _You got her all to yourself now. I suggest you talk to her and become better acquainted._

With that, Hanamichi exhaled and fainted. 

* * * * * * 

"Ah! Sakuragi-kun! Hang on!" 

Rukawa watched with dangerous eyes as the girl called Haruko held his Hana's head in her arms, trying to make him wake up. He clenched his fist tight, an air of jealousy surrounding his body. When he saw a schoolmate of Hanamichi come over to help, he watched with indifference as the guy lifted Hanamichi's body over his, and together, he and Haruko went towards the clinic in haste. 

Rukawa punched the wall beside him with so much force, that if he were real in that moment, the entire wall would have exploded. He bit his lip, trying to control his anger. He was pissed off. One moment, he was having the time of his life seducing that beautiful redhead of his to want him back, and the next, that annoying mortal comes in and ruins everything! Now, he had to give Hanamichi a fever to make up for his rumpled state and the way his entire body was so hot. He cursed loudly. _Damn her!_

"Ah...I see that our dear prince as fallen for a mortal." 

Rukawa's eyebrow's furrowed at that voice, but he turned to regard the other devil with a cold exterior. "What are you doing here, Mitsui?" 

Hisashi Mitsui, Rukawa's cousin and one of the strongest demon's in the Underworld next to Rukawa, floated beside the dark haired man, a small grin playing on his lips. He was known to be the hentai of hell, but lately, he has been more than demure. Mitsui chuckled silently and patted his cousin on the back. "Man, oh, man, but he is one fine piece. I mean, that ass! Have you had him yet?" 

"No." Rukawa answered, rather annoyed with his cousin. "Why'd you ask?" 

Mitsui snickered evilly at that defensive response. "Well, if you aren't having him anytime soon, I thought that maybe I-" 

Rukawa turned around sharply and pinned his cousin to the wall with a rather strong grip. His long hair mixed with Mitsui's also long hair as he grounded out, "Don't even think about it." 

"Hai, hai!" Mitsui answered, rather disturbed on how much Rukawa was into the redhead. He pulled away from Rukawa's grasp and voiced out his thought. "Are you really falling for this Hanamichi Sakuragi? Are you?" 

Rukawa turned away from his cousin and started floating towards the clinic, still in stealth mode. 

Mitsui groaned and followed Rukawa, folding his wings slightly. "Come on, man. Tell me. You know, if I were stronger, I could read your thoughts, but hey, since I'm not, I'm asking." 

"It's none of your business." 

Mitsui snorted at that. "Oh sure, it isn't any of my business. Well, guess what, Rukawa? I'm your cousin, PLUS, you're the prince. You will be taking over your father's throne in less than a month. If you fall in love with a human and defy us, it's a BIG problem, believe me." 

Rukawa glared at Mitsui, but after a while, he laughed. "Right...the great son of Satan falling for a mere mortal. What a story." 

Mitsui eyed him carefully. "You're amused by this?" 

Rukawa turned and saw the clinic just ahead. He floated faster, his answer drifting into Mitsui's ear. "Why wouldn't I be? I don't care about Hana. I don't care if he dies right after he gets his wish. I don't give a damn about him at all." With that, he slipped in the clinic door, making Mitsui stop dead in his tracks. 

Mitsui stared after his cousin for a while, then, his eyes became wide with understanding. He shook his head and followed Rukawa. 

His cousin was in BIG trouble, all right. 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi lay against the pillow as white as a ghost. Haruko sat by his side, holding his hand in case he would suddenly wake up due to a bad dream. She sighed. 

"Haruko?" 

Haruko turned and smiled when she spotted Kiminobu Kogure, the one who helped her carry Hanamichi all the way to the clinic, open the curtain and peer in, a soft smile on his face. "Hello there, Kogure-sempai." 

Kogure came in and watched Hanamichi's face with concern. He looked at Haruko. "Will he be all right?" 

Haruko's smile faded as she bowed her head and whispered, "The doctor said that he had been under a lot of stress lately which must have triggered the fever to go to full blast. He must have had a light fever to begin with, but since he didn't rest, it got worst." Haruko eyed Hanamichi with a small smile. "All he needs is rest. That's all." 

Kogure nodded at that, then eyed the sister of his teammate. "I have a question, Haruko. How'd you know Sakuragi-kun over here? You don't usually go to the basketball practices, and you're not in the same section as he is." 

Haruko sat up and sighed. "Well, he approached me twice before, always wanting to say something, but after he introduces himself and greets me, he runs off. I can't forget someone like that." 

"Ah...sou." Kogure smiled at that, then his eyes widened with shock. "Oh no! I totally forgot!" 

"Eh?" Haruko turned to regard her brother's best friend. 

Kogure grabbed her arm and pulled her up from the seat. "Akagi told me that he needed to tell you something important! That was why I was in the first year building! Come on!" 

"Eh?! What about Sakuragi-kun?" 

"Don't worry. The doctor's here. Saa, let's go." With a tug, the 2 of them went out of the room and down the corridor. 

Once they were gone, Rukawa appeared out of thin air right beside Hanamichi and knelt down, his nose nearly touching Hanamichi's as he listened to the breathing. Mitsui shortly appeared after a few seconds and looked over Rukawa's shoulder. He blinked. "Man, he looks like a kid! When he was up and about, he usually looked like a gangster of some sort." 

Rukawa didn't mind his cousin as he place a hand over Hanamichi's head and made his power flow out towards Hanamichi. The fever instantly disappeared, leaving Hanamichi looking more relieved than ever. Rukawa smiled softly when he saw Hanamichi roll over and mumble something incoherent. 

Mitsui shook his head. "Okay...since you're done with this little task of yours, I didn't come here to bother you, but, to give you a message from your dad." 

"Father?" Rukawa's eyes narrowed at that, but he straightened up, brushing a few of Hanamichi's bangs away to distract him. 

Mitsui nodded gravely and said monotonously, "You are to pick your bride in 3 weeks. And then, you are going to stand beside your father in 4 weeks with your chosen bride." 

Rukawa clenched his hand tightly. "Already?" 

"Yes." Mitsui replied, turning away as he did so. "That's all. Anyway, gotta run. Enjoy your life of being a single for the time being, okay?" Then, in a whirl of black, Mitsui disappeared from Rukawa's sight. 

Rukawa stared at Hanamichi's sleeping face and felt blood run down his bottom lip. He had bitten it too hard, due to the news of getting a bride, and the thought of loosing his freedom. His body shook as he leaned over Hanamichi's prone figure. He didn't want that life. He didn't want to sit in a throne ordering demons around, deciding important issues such as whether to fight with God today or not, or to marry someone he didn't even like. Sure, most people and angels would think that demons are nothing but disgusting animals that take anyone they want, or do whatever they want...Rukawa wasn't like that. 

He brought one hand up to his face and touched his bloody lip. He brought a sample of the blood up to his eyes and whispered in a sarcastic tone, "I am like you, Hana. You will die when you get your wish in 2 weeks, and I will die internal in 3 weeks...ironic, isn't it?" 

When Hanamichi made no move, Rukawa bent over and kissed Hanamichi on the lips, a chaste kiss, a loving kiss, a sorrowful kiss. He kissed Hanamichi's forehead and murmured against the cool skin, "I don't know why, but...demons aren't suppose to care about mortals, but you..." He chuckled softly and whispered, "You're special. And yet...you will die." 

Rukawa pressed his lips tightly against Hanamichi's again, wishing that this moment would last forever. But, he knew nothing lasted forever. There's always an end to everything. 

He drew back to once again be in the shadows and watch over his beautiful redhead, but when he backed up far enough, his breath hitched. 

Hanamichi was awake...and he had heard everything. 

**TBC**

Camry: WAI!!!!! Gomen, gomen! I know this chapter sucked big time. Really sorry. It's just that this part was needed for the story, and I have a certain length to follow for each chapter, so...HONTO NI GOMEN! Awwwww!!!! I wasn't inspired again! But, even though this chapter sucked, could you still give me a REVIEW? Please?...*Big puppy eyes* Thanks for reading. ^_^ 


	5. Chapter Five

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Five**

Rukawa's eyes remained unchanged and impassive as he drew back even father from Hanamichi, however, his heart was ramming against his chest in a stinging manner. _Shit..._ He had blown it. He wasn't suppose to make the victim know of his fate until the last minute, and yet...He stepped away as Hanamichi sat up from the bed, a pensive look on his face. Rukawa bristled slightly at the way Hanamichi stared at him. 

Finally, Hanamichi swallowed and said softly, "Is it true?" He regarded Rukawa with uncertain eyes as he gripped the sheet on his lap tightly. "Is it true? Kitsune?" 

Rukawa faced the wall on his left and inserted his hand in his jeans, avoiding the question and not meeting those piercing eyes all together. 

Hanamichi reached out and caught the sleeve of Rukawa's shirt, tightening his hold on it to get the raven haired man's attention. "Rukawa! Is it true? Am I going to die? Am I?" Hanamichi looked so helpless. 

Rukawa sighed and nodded slowly, his face still devoid of any emotion. He didn't know what else to do. 

Hanamichi's face vaulted at that action, and his hand slacked, releasing Rukawa's shirt. He stared at his hand for a few seconds, unable to believe what he had just heard. _Die...I'm going to die...in 2 weeks..._ He shuddered at that thought and bowed his head, his shoulders quivering. "I'm...going to...die..." 

Rukawa came forward and tried to reach out for Hanamichi's face. 

Hanamichi reacted violently. He slapped Rukawa's hand away and backed up until his back was against the railing of the bed. He glared at Rukawa venomously and shouted out, "YOU ASSHOLE!! When were you planning to tell me this?! When?! When I'm DEAD?! When I'm rotting away in a coffin?! YOU BASTARD!!!" 

Rukawa shook his head, his eyes dull. "It can't be helped. It is meant to happen." 

Hanamichi grabbed the collar Rukawa's shirt and shook him back and forth, his face a mask of rage and terror at the same time. "DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU BACK TO HELL!!" He shook Rukawa a few more times then released him. He pushed the raven haired boy away from him and whispered as he bent his head, "I hate you...I hate you..." He bit his lip, and clenched his hands tightly into fists. 

Rukawa still had an impassive face, but his insides were screaming. He shook his head. _Why the hell should I care? I am a demon. I should play with mortal's emotions and lives, not CARE about them._ He was about to make a snide comment, when his eyes encountered something he has never seen before from the redhead. 

Hanamichi...was crying. 

It wasn't the loud kind, nor was it the sniffling kind of crying. No. It was the kind of crying that would break and melt anyone's heart that would stumble upon the person doing so. It was the kind of crying that was silent, but shouted volumes, the kind of crying that made your eyes look so lifeless and hopeless, the kind of crying that had no light in it... 

...the kind of crying a lost soul would do. 

Rukawa's defenses lowered, and his eyes slowly unmasked what he felt. He felt disturbed. _What do I feel for you, Hana? Why is it that when you cry, it hurts me to see you do so? Why is it that I want to protect you from everything instead of toying with you? Why?..._ He stared at the shaking form of Hanamichi, and felt his fists clench harder. _I want to love you, but I can't...demons may never love a mortal. Hell...we can't FEEL love, Hana, and yet..._

_I love you..._

His eyes widened slightly at this realization, and he moved closer to the crying redhead, his heart jumping at what he had just thought. He loved him...He loved the baka who had flaming red hair, the arrogant attitude, the innocent mind, and the most beautiful soul...he loved him. 

Rukawa sat beside Hanamichi and slowly reached out once again for the redhead. When Hanamichi jerked away at the feel of Rukawa's cold fingers on his cheek, Rukawa simply followed Hanamichi's movement until he finally held the warm cheek in his hand. He bent close and dipped his head low to murmur, "I'm sorry...I'm really sorry..." 

Hanamichi remained silent, though he lifted his head a notch higher, making his eyes meet Rukawa's. Rukawa's stomach clenched. Dead...the eyes looked so dead... 

Rukawa sighed and moved closer, his head on Hanamichi's shoulder, his arms wrapping themselves protectively around the redhead. "When you read the incantation which would summon me, the deal was that when you get your wish, you will die a few seconds, hours, or days later. It is always uncertain. Death can crawl up on you anytime. We demons told the mortals that this would be the secret deal and they accepted it. That is why I couldn't tell you about it." 

Hanamichi sighed in understanding, somewhat not blaming his fate entirely on Rukawa anymore. Instead, he relaxed his head tentatively on Rukawa's shoulder. 

Rukawa sighed back and rubbed his nose against the column where Hanamichi's shoulder and neck met. "I want to save you from all this...but I can't stop the inevitable...even _I_ don't have that power...but, there is be a way to save you. It's against the rules of the underworld, but I'll do it." 

Hanamichi stiffened at the possibility of him being saved, and gripped Rukawa's arm excitedly. 

Rukawa smiled softly at the reaction his idea did to Hanamichi, and continued. "It's going to be hard, but, my father's very close with Death, and if I can ask him to spare your life, he might concede. But, if he won't, then..." Rukawa grimaced at the thought, then voiced it out disgustedly, "I can ask an angel to fight with me against death. It won't be easy to persuade an angel to work with a devil, but I promise you...I won't let you die." 

Hanamichi loosened his grasp on Rukawa's shoulder and just sat there, a concentrated look on his face. After a while, no one said anything to each other. Then, Hanamichi inhaled, and asked softly, "Why?" 

"Hmmm?" Rukawa replied just as softly. 

Hanamichi shifted and burrowed his own nose into the column of Rukawa's neck. "Why are you going to save me? Not that I'm not grateful or anything, but...why?" 

Rukawa laughed silently at that and drew away, brushing his knuckles against Hanamichi's smooth cheek. He caressed it again, then, without warning, he gave Hanamichi a long, passionate kiss. Hanamichi was surprised at first, then gradually, he too responded to the ministrations Rukawa was doing with his tongue. When they finally parted, a little breathless on Hanamichi's part, Rukawa sat up and kissed the tip of his nose. "Coz I love you." 

Hanamichi's eyes widened with shock, but before he could say anything, Rukawa turned around and started fading away, a grin on his lips. "I'll go visit Death later. For the meantime, I'll be watching over you again." With that, he disappeared, leaving Hanamichi looking like a fish with his mouth opening and closing slowly. 

Hanamichi blinked then groaned as he fell back on the bed, his mind totally confused and mind boggled. 

* * * * * * 

Mitsui slowly sat up from the chair in his room and asked his companion in a quiet voice, "What do we do, Akira?" 

Akira Sendoh, who was the younger step-brother of Mitsui, and the second hentai in the underworld, made a face that showed Mitsui he was in deep thought. After a while, he blew out a puff of air and said carefully, "Let me get the picture straight. Kaede was called by a human being named Hanamichi Sakuragi to help him get his wish, but the thing is, once he gets his wish, Death will get him. Kaede is falling for Hanamichi, and now wants to change the redhead's fate. To do so, he would have to either talk to Death, OR, to work with an angel, which is against the rules of the Underworld. Correct, so far?" 

"Yeah." Mitsui replied, toying with his long, black hair. "What do you think we should do?" 

Sendoh smiled that secret smile of his, then shrugged. "What the hell, things have been boring around here lately. Let's help our cousin." 

Mitsui's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. "HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY AS WELL AS OUR COUSIN?!" 

"Hey, I thought you wanted to help Kaede?" 

"I didn't say anything like that!" 

"Oh, yes you did." Sendoh said in a taunting voice. 

Mitsui huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "When?" 

"When you were ranting to me the whole situation, and you thought in the middle of it, 'How can I help him?' Remember, brother?" 

Mitsui blushed at that and turned away. "Whatever. He's the PRINCE, for Satan's sake! And he will be married in 3 WEEKS! Have you forgotten that?!" 

"And have you forgotten that he is just 17, despite the decades that have passed, and he will have to marry someone he doesn't love, plus, he will lose his freedom?" 

Mitsui was stumped there. 

Sendoh sighed and sat up. "Look, he's fallen for this Hanamichi Sakuragi. The least we could do to make his life happy for the time being. He and Hanamichi are very much alike and very much opposite in the same way. It's interesting how this relationship of his will turn out. I mean, come on! He has had 5 summonings in the last 2 decades. A young girl, an annoying kid, an old man, a beggar, and finally, an old woman. Now he's finally got a good-looking, young, handsome redhead. Think about it." 

Mitsui stamped his foot, then groaned. "fine...what do you have in mind?" 

"Well..." Sendoh's grin came back in full blast, obviously enjoying the idea of playing matchmaker with a demon and a mortal. "For starters...you have to attend the school of this Hanamichi." 

"NANI?!" Mitsui nearly fell on his rear at that suggestion. He righted himself and asked, "Why the hell should I?!" 

"I would do it if I could, but since I have to handle the work here in the lower grade levels of the Underworld, and since you're on vacation, it seemed like the right choice." 

"There is no way I am going to go to that school! NO WAY!" 

* * * * * * 

_A FEW MINUTES LATER..._

The Principal of the school smiled at the young man in front of him. "Welcome to Shohoku High, Mr. Hisashi Mitsui." 

Mitsui gave a strained smile and shook hands with the principal. "Thank you." Then, he bowed down and went out of the principal's office, seething with rage at being outwitted by his younger brother. He cursed silently under his breath as he walked towards his classroom to attend the afternoon classes. He shortened his hair so that it would look normal, and he didn't like it one bit. It felt too exposing. He snorted. "'Make our cousin happy. Make ACCIDENTS that would make them come together.' Right. Now I have to take orders from that hentai brother of mine." 

He rounded a corner swiftly, sensing that there wasn't anyone coming, but right after he turned, he bumped solidly into another boy. He landed on his rear and hissed. _Damn! This is why I hate mortal bodies! Too frail!_

"Ah! Gomen! Are you okay?" Asked the other guy, obviously the type that wouldn't like to pick a fight with anyone. 

Mitsui grinned, wanting to take out his anger on someone, and he found his perfect victim. He lifted his head, opened his mouth, and felt all the words die in his throat. 

The boy in front of him was beautiful. He was kneeling down in front of Mitsui, probably checking the person he hit for injuries. His glasses were askew from the contact, but that made him look even more beautiful. He had short brown hair and the same brown eyes. He was looking Mitsui over for any cuts or pain, and when Mitsui met his eyes, he gave a smile of relief. "Thank God you're not hurt." 

"A...aa." Mitsui mumbled, feeling a blush make it's way towards his cheeks. He felt strange. 

The spectacled boy stood up and offered his hand out to assist Mitsui. "Here. Let me help you." 

Mitsui nodded dumbly and grasped the other boys hand in his, feeling a strange jolt of electricity flow into his hand. He stood up shakily and continued staring at the boy even after they have released each other's hand. Finally, after their little staring game, the spectacled guy offered a calm smile. "I'm Kogure. Kiminobu Kogure. And you are?" 

"Mi-Mitsui...Hisashi Mitsui." Mitsui felt strange. His body was getting all warm and fuzzy. 

Kogure smiled at him. "I've never seen or heard of you before. Are you a new transfer student? What class are you in?" 

Mitsui nodded yet again, feeling that was the only thing he could o at the moment. _Damn...why is there sweet music playing behind my ears?_ He stood up straight and answered, "Yes, I am new. I'm in Year 3 Section 4." 

"Hey! What a coincidence! I'm your classmate!" Kogure laughed at that and cocked his head to the right. "Well, come on. I'll show you to your classroom. And after that, I have a little errand to do." 

"Which is?" Mitsui was becoming to enjoy this boys company. 

Kogure looked at the ground and picked up the box that he dropped. He straightened the wrinkles out and said, "One of my teammates from basketball has a fever. I thought that he would like to eat something, seeing that maybe he hasn't eaten anything yet." 

"Ah...sou." Mitsui smiled back. He was a good mortal. He had a pure soul, too, as Mitsui can sense. He stared at the box of lunch for a while, then, had an idea. He asked politely, "If you don't mind, is it okay for me to accompany you to visit your friend?" 

Kogure raised his eyebrows at that "Are you sure? Don't you want to see the classroom yet?" 

"I can do that later." Mitsui replied, a grin on his lips. _I have to explain THIS to Kaede. He'll KILL me if he doesn't know the exact reason why I'm here._ Mitsui shook his head and turned. "So, where's your friend?" 

Kogure stared at his new classmate for a while, then shrugged. "He's in the clinic. It's this way." And together, they went down the hall, unaware that a pair of green eyes were watching their every move and listening to their every word. 

**TBC**

Camry: Well? How was it? ^_^ REVIEW please! I just want to know what you thought of this chapter. 


	6. Chapter Six

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Six**

Hanamichi continued to stare up at the ceiling, dazed at what Rukawa had just said a while ago. He couldn't believe it. No matter how much he tried to make any sense out of it, he just couldn't believe it. Last time he checked, he was in love with Haruko, but now... He turned over to lie on his stomach and sighed. Then, his eyes widened. _He's a demon, right? Demons are evil, right? Maybe it was all just a joke. _He buried his nose into the pillow, a little disappointed when he thought of that. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

"Ah! Sakuragi-kun! You're awake!" 

Hanamichi turned over again and smiled when he saw his sempai and teammate, Kiminobu Kogure, walk in, carrying a bentou in his hand. "Yo, Megane-kun." 

Kogure chuckled at that reply. "You're still the same even though you're sick." Then, Kogure's eyes widened when he looked closely at Hanamichi. "Matte." He touched Hanamichi's forehead and blinked in surprise. "Your fever's gone!" 

"Huh? What fever?" Hanamichi gently brushed Kogure's hand away, then he remembered. _Oh yeah...Rukawa said that he had to give me a fever because Haruko caught us-_ His train of thought stopped at that as a blush made it's way to his cheeks. 

Kogure raised an eyebrow in confusion, then rubbed his head. "Wow. That was a fast recovery. Maybe you ARE a tensai, after all." 

Hanamichi jolted out of his memory and laughed nervously, "Ah-Ahahahahahahahaha! Yahari no tensai desu! NYAHAHAHAHAHA!" 

Kogure smiled at that and laughed a little. Then, he place the bentou on top of Hanamichi's lap and said, "It seems like you didn't have any lunch, so I bought his from the canteen." 

"Sou su ka?" Hanamichi opened the bentou and sniffed in the smell of ramen and a few pieces of tamago. He smiled gratefully at Kogure. "Arigatou, Megane-kun!" 

Kogure nodded back. "You're welcome." Then, he heard shuffling from behind the curtain, and he gasped. "That's right! Hanamichi, I want you to meet a new student. He said he might try out for the basketball team." 

"Hmmm?" Hanamichi said through a mouthful of ramen. 

Kogure stepped aside. "Come on in, Mitsui-kun." 

Hanamichi saw a pair of shoes from the floor and automatically lifted his head up to the face. When he met ice blue eyes, he stilled. Those eyes. And that hair...It was exactly like Rukawa's. He had tanned skin and a scar on his cheek, but when Hanamichi looked closely, he could see a dark aura around the boy. He narrowed his eyes. "What the-" 

"Nice to meet you, Sakuragi-kun." the boy interrupted as he stepped forward. "My name's Hisashi Mitsui. It's nice to meet you." 

"A-Aa." Hanamichi got out, looking Mitsui over. _He has it. He has the same aura as Rukawa._

Just then, the paging system sounded, and it announced: _Kogure-san of Year 3 Section 4, please come to the Principal's Office right now. Again, Kogure..._

Kogure's eyes widened with curiosity at that. "Why am I being called?" He shrugged and waved at Hanamichi. "Well then, gotta go. I'll visit you before practice starts, okay?" Then, he turned to Mitsui. "Sorry that I won't be able to accompany you to your new classroom." 

Mitsui shrugged, a warm smile on his face. "That's okay. I'm sure I can find my way there." 

Kogure nodded then went out of the clinic, his footsteps slowly fading away. finally, when they couldn't be heard anymore, Hanamichi looked up at Mitsui and crooked an eyebrow. "Let me guess...a relative of Rukawa?" 

Mitsui grinned. "Definitely a tensai. And yes, I am his cousin." He sat down on the bed and said, "Come out already, Kaede. I know you're here." 

Hanamichi gaped at that. Then, he watched as a vision of Rukawa started forming in front of him until finally, the real figure of Rukawa was there. And Rukawa wasn't happy. "What are YOU doing here? Actually, why are you a STUDENT here? I thought you hated mortal necessities." 

Mitsui was disappointed. "Hey, come on! I look like a 17 year old student! And I do hate going to school and stuff, but hey," He gestured to where Kogure just disappeared from. "After meeting that Kogure, I think I'm starting to rethink that dislike of mine." 

Rukawa snorted. "Just like you to chase after an innocent boy." 

Hanamichi's eyes widened even more. "You LIKE Megane-kun? NO WAY!" 

Mitsui grinned. "Oh yes way. Just like your darling Kaede here like's you. Or should I say, LOVES you." 

Hanamichi shut his mouth and blushed hard at that. 

Kaede stepped forward and crossed his pale arms across his lean chest. "You haven't answered my first question." 

Mitsui sighed at his cousin's position, which meant that if he didn't answer that question, he was going to be burnt. He stood up and shrugged. "I'm here to help you." When Kaede merely raised an eyebrow at that answer, Mitsui continued. "I know what you're planning, Kaede. I heard you talking it over with Hanamichi. Sorry, didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I just wanted to see if you were okay. Anyway, Akira said that since you are our cousin, we want to make your life a happy one for the time being, so we'll do anything to make you happy, saving HANAMICHI over here as priority number one." 

Rukawa glared at that answer. "I don't need your help." 

Mitsui snorted in disbelief. "Believe me, you do. You have a very thin chance of asking Death to spare his life, and it's really hard to find, much less, as an angel for help. Akira told me to enter this school so that...umm...so that it would be easier for me to spot an angel." No way was he going to tell Rukawa that he was there to make ACCIDENTS that would bring his cousin and Hanamichi together. 

Rukawa raised his eyebrow at that, then turned away. "You and that stupid step-brother of yours." 

Mitsui grinned. "Come on. You don't want HIM to die, right?" 

Rukawa raised his fist, and Hanamichi stared in awe as a black flame started getting bigger and bigger in his palm. He aimed it at Mitsui and replied with a diabolical grin, "See ya." 

Mitsui heard the bell then stood up. "Right, right." He stepped out of the clinic, the shouted back, "Hey Hanamichi, if Kaede here hasn't told you yet, he's the number one hentai in Hell. Be careful, okay?" Then, with an amused laugh, he left to go to his first class. 

Hanamichi blushed at that, then eyed Rukawa. "Number one hentai, ka?" 

Rukawa shook his head and sat down on the bed. "That's him. He was just teasing you." 

Hanamichi breathed a sigh of relief. Rukawa saw that action and grinned. "But you know, I can live up to his name too if I wanted to." Hanamichi's head snapped up at that, and Rukawa leaned in closer to Hanamichi, his tongue brushing Hanamichi's lips seductively. "Wanna see?" 

"I-I..." Hanamichi swallowed and got out of bed, his nerves all jumpy. "I have to go to class!" He grabbed his shoes from the floor and ran out of the room. Rukawa stood there and stared at the redhead for a while, a small grin on his face. 

"Do'aho." 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi slumped down on his seat and gave Yohei a weird look. "You don't remember ANYHING?" 

Yohei gave him a confused glance, aware that they were in the middle of class even though Hanamichi wasn't. "I told you, Hanamichi. You said you weren't hungry, so I went down to eat. That's all that happened." 

"So, so you don't remember anything else?" Hanamichi pressed on. 

Yohei nodded back. "That's it." 

"MITO-KUN AND SAKURAGI-KUN! PLEASE STOP TALKING! WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A QUIZ!" The teacher in front, Saito-sensei, fairly shouted. 

Hanamichi and Yohei backed away from each other. Hanamichi stared at his test paper, though he wasn't reading the questions. Instead, he tried to figure some things out. _Rukawa must have erased that part of Yohei's memory. And if I ever tell Yohei again, Rukawa might erase it again._ He sighed and slumped on his seat. _Couldn't he tell ANYONE?!_

_No, because it's not allowed._

Hanamichi raised his head and he gasped when he saw Rukawa floating beside him, his wings stretched out. "KITSUNE!" 

"SAKURAGI-KUN! I SAID QUIET!" Saito-sensei shouted again, annoyed that Hanamichi couldn't even follow that simple order. 

Hanamichi glared at Rukawa heatedly. _Damn you, kitsune..._

Rukawa shrugged. _It's the rule. Besides, you have a test. Get back to it._

Hanamichi was shocked at Rukawa's bossy attitude, then, he stared daggers towards him. _You're not the boss of me._

_And you're no tensai._

"TEME KITSUNE!!" 

"SAKURAGI-KUN!" 

In all 15 years of his life, Hanamichi has never been more irritated as he was that moment. He scratched his head in frustration and shouted at the lop of his lungs, "ARRRGHHH!!! WHY ME?!!!!" 

* * * * * * 

Satan stared at the report one his spies gave him. He read it without any emotion on his, but when he got to the middle, his mouth turned into a snarl. "My son...has fallen for a...MORTAL?" 

"Yes, your great." The spy that was assigned to watch over Kaede Rukawa replied. 

Satan crumpled the piece of paper in his hand and set in on fire. When all the pieces of the paper were turned to ashes, blew it away and called out, "Death, come here." 

A portal was opened from the center of the arena, and from that portal stepped out a person in a black cloak. He floated towards Satan and knelt before him. "What is it, your great?" 

Satan brushed back his hair. "It seems that you have a certain Hanamichi Sakuragi in your list that you have to visit 2 weeks from now." 

Death nodded. "Yes, your great." 

Satan smiled evilly. "Could you reschedule that to NEXT week?" 

Death seemed surprised by this, by nonetheless, he nodded. "It shall be done, your great." 

Satan stood up from his throne and went down the stairs towards his room. "No son of mine will fall for a stupid MORTAL, much more, a stupid BOY." HE slammed the doors open on his way out, and when he was gone, he slammed them shut. 

Everyone stayed were they were for 5 seconds, then all started to murmur excitedly about the news. Everyone wanted to know the outcome. 

Death approached the green eyed spy and whispered, "It seems to me that our dear prince was a little too late with his proposition." 

The spy nodded. "It seems so." 

Death sighed then murmured as he disappeared, "What will happen now, Hiroaki?" 

The green eyes slowly turned to soft, brown one's as Hiroaki Koshino dropped his second personality. He slumped his head low and bit his lip to keep himself from bursting out. He had ruined it. He had ruined Kaede's life in a snap, and it wasn't even HIM who did it. It was his second personality. But still, it was him...and he had ruined Kaede Rukawa's life. 

As Koshino clenched his fist tightly, blood dripping from the wound his nails created, he didn't notice Akira Sendoh looking at him with pitiful eyes from the side. 

Sendoh shook his head, and for once, a smile didn't grace his lips. "Too late, Kaede. You were too late." 

**TBC**

Camry: Wah...there we go...^_^ Well, what do you think? REVIEW please! Oh, and if you're wondering why the demon's (namely Rukawa, Mitsui, and the rest) are still 17, 18, or 19 even though how many decades have passed, think of vampires. When a human turns into a vampire, they don't age that fast. They age after a LONG time. ^_^ That way, they stay fresh and beautiful...hehe! REVIEW, please! 


	7. Chapter Seven

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Seven**

"KITSUNE! Would you get out of my room?!" Hanamichi shouted wildly as he struggled to refrain himself from tackling the grinning demon. He felt his head boiling. Right after the test that afternoon, he thought that Rukawa would lay off and leave him alone. Wrong. Rukawa decided to play the part of the devil himself, and sure enough, Hanamichi got into all sorts of trouble. 

Hanamichi groaned inwardly. If this was going to go on for 2 weeks, he was going to DIE earlier than that. People are starting to dub him as the psycho who shouts at nothing. Ch! What a reputation. 

Hanamichi wanted to change into his sleeping attire badly. He had arrived home with Rukawa tailing him, he had hardly eaten his dinner due to Rukawa telling him all sorts of gross things about that fish or that meat, and finally, he couldn't even go to the bathroom in PRIVATE! He was about to snap! 

Rukawa crossed his over his chest and grinned at Hanamichi's strained face, obviously enjoying himself. "You know, it's really fun to torture you." 

"THAT'S IT! GET OUT!" 

"And you know, the way you react to them is really amusing." 

"OUT!" 

"And what will you reaction be if I told you that I intend on watching you go naked?" 

"HENTAI! URUSAI! GET OUT! BAKA KITSUNE! ARGH! OUT!" 

Rukawa laughed out loud at that reply and sat down on he bed of Hanamichi, since he couldn't seem to support himself anymore. He rolled around the bed, a few tears escaping his eyes as he continued to laugh. He clutched his stomach tight, fearing that it might rip open. But nonetheless, he continued to laugh. 

Hanamichi rubbed his head, trying to maintain his cool. "Come on, Rukawa...I wanna change!" 

Rukawa rolled over and sat up, wiping his tears away as he chuckled. "Wakatta, wakatta." He grinned evilly and stood up, fixing Hanamichi a sultry look. "So, change. I'll help you." 

"Eh?" Hanamichi asked, but before anything else, Rukawa tackled him to the ground and started tearing off his shirt. "WAAHH!!!! HENTAI!!!" 

Rukawa licked his lips when he saw the chest of Hanamichi being exposed to his view, and straddled Hanamichi's hips comfortably, eliciting a strangled cry from the trapped redhead. "Lucky me, I finally get to have you." 

"WAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! HANASE!!!!!!!!" Hanamichi started wiggling around, trying to get away from the hentai above him. It was no use. Hanamichi may have been the strongest MORTAL, but Rukawa was the strongest IMMORTAL. Hanamichi raised his arms to deliver punches towards that perfect face, but Rukawa saw that coming and grabbed them with one hand, raising them above Hanamichi's head at the same time. Hanamichi shouted even more. "ARGH! TASUKETE!!!!!" 

Rukawa grinned, a diabolical glint in his eye. "Now, now, Hana, we don't want to attract attention, do we?" 

"OH YES WE DO!!!! TASUKETE!!!" 

"Come on, let's have a little fun. I'm sure you'd like that." Rukawa purred into Hanamichi's ear. 

Hanamichi was desperate now. He started kicking, though, since Rukawa was straddling him around the waist, it was useless, plus, since his hands were still trapped, all e could do was shout even more. "IIYADA!!!!! AHHH!!!! HANASE!!!! TASUKE-umphf!" 

Hanamichi's lips were covered by Rukawa's in a second. Rukawa sighed, finally being able to regulate his eardrums from all the screaming and shouting of Hanamichi. This was a definitely good way to shut the aho up. 

Hanamichi tried to shift his head away, but Rukawa's head just followed him. Their lips never left each other's, and as much as Hanamichi tried to push it away, the feeling of warmth and fuzziness started to spread itself up from his stomach to his brain. He hesitantly kissed Rukawa back. _Kitsune..._

Abruptly, Rukawa stopped their kiss and leaned back to observe the state his beloved redhead was in. Hanamichi's face was red, and his chest was rising and falling slowly. His eyes were soft and innocent looking, and his lips were red and slightly parted...a perfect picture. 

Rukawa stood up and fixed his hair. "I have to go now and ask Death. I won't be gone long, so, don't miss me that much." And with that, he turned around, spread his wings, and disappeared. 

Hanamichi stared at the spot where Rukawa was, then, he stared up at the ceiling and murmured, "This is so weird..." 

"Well, not entirely weird, Hanamichi." Mitsui's face appeared above Hanamichi's. 

Hanamichi cried out and sat up, instantly bumping Mitsui's forehead with his. Hanamichi rubbed his forehead, while Mitsui lay on the ground with a smoking lump on his forehead. Hanamichi shook his head and demanded, "What the HELL are you doing HERE?!" 

Mitsui groaned as he rubbed his forehead, a pained expression on his face. "Iteee...that hurt." 

"KORA! ANSWER ME!" 

"Yeah, yeah, wait a minute!" Mitsui rubbed his head and got out, "I live here." 

"NANI?!" Hanamichi jumped up to his feet and stared at Mitsui incredulously. "Why-how-eh...?!" 

"Geez, one by one, okay?" Mitsui sighed and stood up too, rubbing his forehead with care. "Okay, first question. Why? Because you are the only one who knows about us at the moment, and I thought that living with you would be easier to handle. How? Well, I just ran the doorbell, told your maid, and since you only have one maid in the house, what with your mother being in America, that I am your classmate and would be sleeping over for a few weeks, she nodded and let me in. Besides, you have 7 rooms in this house, so there's no problem." 

Hanamichi stared at Mitsui in disbelief, then slumped his head down. "I don't believe this..." 

Mitsui chuckled evilly. "Hehe...don't worry! It'll only be for 2 weeks! And besides, I'll make sure that I won't disturb you and your lover in the middle of the night-" 

"HE IS NOT MY LOVER!!!!!" 

Mitsui waved his hand back and forth. "Hai, hai, whatever you say." Then, Mitsui turned around and said, "Hey, where the bathroom? Where's my room? Can I borrow your clothes for the mean time? Oh, and can I eat something from the kitchen? I'm really hungry. Oh, and Kogure-kun is sooo hot! Hey! I made it in the basketball team! We'll be teammates from now on. But I'm your sempai, so you have to follow me. Oh, right! Where's the phone? I have to-" 

Hanamichi had had enough. One demon ruining and staying in his house was enough, but now 2? He snapped. "ARRGGHHHH!!!!! URUSAI!!!!!!" 

* * * * * * 

Rukawa warped himself into the Underworld, and stepped out of the black hole he created for himself. Just as he walked towards the room of Death in the palace, someone whispered insistently, "Kaede-sama!" 

Rukawa turned to find the source of that voice, and his eyes landed on the huddled figure of Koshino. Rukawa raised his eyes. Koshino's eyes were brown, not green. It meant that something bad has happened, and _this_ Koshino was worried. "What is it, Koshino?" 

Koshino swallowed nervously as he knelt down in front of the prince and said, "You cannot approach Death, young master. Your father has beaten you to it." 

Rukawa's eyes widened. "He knows about what I intend to do?" 

"Hai." Came the soft reply. 

Rukawa clenched his hand. "Who told him? Who told him of my plan? Mitsui?" When that name came out of his mouth, Rukawa was determined to KILL his cousin when he got back. 

Koshino bowed his head and whispered, "No, young master. It wasn't Mitsui." Then, he lifted his head a notch higher and confessed. "It was me." 

Rukawa entire body stiffened at that as he gasped out, "What?" 

Koshino bent his head low, unable to stop a few drops of tears from falling to the ground. "I'm sorry. My other self was forced to arise by Satan-sama when he felt that you were up to something. With that, I followed you in secret and reported EVERYTHING to Satan-sama." 

Rukawa snapped out of his state and stepped forward. "How? I didn't sense your presence." 

"Satan-sama place a heavy cloak spell on me." 

Rukawa cursed and turned around. "Damn it...damn it all." 

"It isn't exactly HIS fault, Kaede." 

Rukawa and Koshino both turned at the same time when they heard that voice, and they both watched with caution as Akira Sendoh stepped into view, his face not as cheerful as usual, but it still had a soft smile. He stepped up to Koshino and touched his shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Don't worry, love, it's not your fault." When Koshino blinked at that endearment and looked up with curious eyes at Sendoh, Sendoh merely smiled then diverted his attention to Rukawa, not releasing his hold on Koshino's shoulder. "It seems like your father has moved up the date of death for Hanamichi to a WEEK." 

Rukawa faltered. "A week..." 

Sendoh nodded. "That's right. I suggest you return to Earth now and start searching for an angel. Remember, that's what Mitsui's there for in the first place." 

Rukawa looked up into Sendoh's serious face and nodded. Then, before he disappeared from their sight, he turned to Koshino and said, "It's not your fault." Then, in a blink, he was gone, leaving Koshino and Sendoh staring at the now empty space. 

Koshino stood up from the ground and gave Sendoh a confused look. "Why?" 

"Hmmm?" Sendoh smiled back. 

"Why did you save me form his wrath? I deserved it." Koshino murmured brokenly. 

Sendoh reached out and cupped Koshino's face in his hands. He drew closer to each other until finally they were nose to nose. Sendoh smiled a the way Koshino flushed at his action, but he said, "To know that there is a fallen angel in front of me is something I can't resist to help out, especially when he is in need." 

Koshino blushed, then turned away. "I am not a fallen angel." 

Sendoh smiled and turned Koshino's head to face his. He whispered gently, "But you are to me..." And with that, he kissed a very surprised Koshino on the lips. 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi was NOT happy. He spent the whole night yesterday showing Mitsui around the house and all the other things he wanted-after he beat him up, that is-then, he finally went to bed. The problem was when he was about to sleep, he remembered that Rukawa was supposedly WATCHING OVER him, so, he looked around, wondering where the kitsune was. He occasionaly called out for the raven haired boy, but he didn't reply. Hanamichi didn't fall asleep until 3 am because of his being too anxious that the kitsune would just pop out of nowhere. 

When he woke up for school, he searched his room again for Rukawa. He was kind of like the characters in Mission Impossible, looking left and right quickly, sneaking around the house, all that stuff. He found out that Mitsui had already left for school, and that he didn't even bother to wait for Hanamichi. 

It was a really strange day. Hanamichi didn't see Rukawa anywhere. He wasn't in the bathroom, the dining room, the kitchen, or in the other rooms. He was simply...gone. 

As Hanamichi walked to school, he felt somewhat lonely. Sure, he got pissed off at Rukawa every now and then because of the way he teased him or got him into trouble, but...Hanamichi missed Rukawa's presence. 

When he entered the classroom, he had been surprised when Haruko suddenly came to him and started talking to him in a friendly tone, obviously trying to become friends with each other. Hanamichi, for once, answered her with straight sentences and without flustering. When she finally left, it was only then that Hanamichi noticed that Haruko had been FLIRTING with him. And for once...Hanamichi was not giddy. 

As he sat down in his seat and stared outside the window, his mind was puzzled by this fact. _My wish was for Haruko to notice me. Well, she did notice me, and she even flirted with me, and yet...I don't feel anything._ He sighed and rested his head on the desk. He thought that was his wish, to become Haruko's boyfriend, but... 

"Okay class, settle down. We have a new student today." 

Hanamichi diverted his attention to the teacher and sighed. Three days have passed since Rukawa has entered his life and tried to seduce Hanamichi, and in those three days, Hanamichi has always avoided those ministrations. And now, Haruko likes him. Shouldn't he be happy about it? 

"Please, come in and introduce yourself." The teacher said comfortingly at the new student who was outside the door. Everyone watched as a boy with short, black hair, and a tall build enter the classroom. Most of the girls were already getting interested and blushing because of the new student, and most of the boys were either amazed or envious of the new guy. 

Hanamichi just gaped. 

He knew that person. He knew that tall build and that raven hair, even though it had been cut REALLY short. He knew those ice blue eyes and that grinning mouth. Oh yes, he knew him. He stood up from his seat, surprising many students, as he shouted, "RUKAWA!!" 

Rukawa met his gaze and waved, "Yo, Hana." 

**TBC**

Camry: Hey, as you probably have noticed, I update this story EVERYDAY, however, I won't be able to update this fanfic for about 4 days since I'm going on a vacation in some resort where there's no internet, so...REVIEW this one please! ^_^ And I hope you'll return to read my story in 4 days time. Thanks a lot for the reviews and all your support! AISHITERU! 


	8. Chapter Eight

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Eight**

Hanamichi continued to gape at Rukawa as the rest of the students started bustling and murmuring to each other excitedly at what they had just heard. 

"Did you HEAR that?" 

"Yeah man!" 

"He called Sakuragi-kun 'Hana'!" 

"And Hanamichi didn't KILL him." 

"Woah...weird..." 

"Rukawa-kun...ka?" 

"Hana! He called Sakuragi HANA!" 

"Do you think they're-" 

"NO WE ARE NOT!" Hanamichi yelled at the top of his lungs when he heard that person speak up. He glared down at the boy and shook his head. "Rukawa and I AREN'T what you think we are!" He drew away and blushed when the entire class looked from his to Rukawa and back. He blushed harder. _Damn! This isn't good!_ He gave Rukawa a pleading look and thought, _Come on, Kitsune! Tell them something!_

Rukawa raised an eyebrow. _Like what, Hana?_

_WILL YOU STOP CALLING ME THAT?!_ Hanamichi sighed inwardly when he saw Rukawa grin slyly at him. _Look, I know you're enjoying this, but can you PLEASE quit it for now?_

Rukawa crossed his arms across his chest and sighed. _Fine._ He looked at the entire class and said in a cool, detached voice, "Hanamichi-kun and I aren't like THAT. We are merely childhood friends who met yesterday, and he didn't know that I was going to study here." 

Many students looked doubtful at that explanation, since they preferred the first thought. Well, most of the yaoi fans did, anyway. But they all left it at that and remain silent. The teacher, who was obviously amused by the way things were taking place that morning, coughed to regain his composure, then announced, "Well, as you have all heard from Sakuragi-kun, this young man's name is Rukawa Kaede. He is a transfer student from England, and sleeps over at Sakuragi-kun's house for the time being. Please make him fell welcome and comfortable." 

At that last part, many girls were ready to make the new student feel VERY welcome and comfortable. 

The teacher nodded and gestured to the seat behind Hanamichi. "You may take your seat now, Rukawa-kun." 

Rukawa nodded politely to the teacher and made his way towards Hanamichi, who was still standing up. When he got to Hanamichi's side, he clasped the redhead's shoulder gently and gave it a light squeeze. "I have to talk to you during recess outside." 

Hanamichi nodded slowly. "See ya." 

With that, they both took their seats and listened semi-attentively to the teacher, the reason being that Rukawa was looking Hanamichi up and down in a sultry way, thus, making Hanamichi twitch and turn every second. 

* * * * * * 

Mitsui yawned when the teacher continued droning on and on about the life of this mortal named William Shakespeare, and how his stories portrayed life at the moment and all that stuff. He place down his pen and tipped his head back, wondering how to get the innocent Kogure to notice him. Hell, it wasn't easy at all. He kept on giving out hints and actions every second, but Kogure seemed to take it all in as a FRIENDLY action. Mitsui was getting impatient, and he was known in the Underworld for getting what he wanted when he was impatient. 

He glanced to his side and watched Kogure lean down his desk to get a new piece of paper. Mitsui smiled. Everything the spectacled boy did seemed so graceful. His movements, his arms, his eyes, his voice...everything. Mitsui enjoyed watching him. 

_Mitsui._

Mitsui's eyes widened slightly as his heard perked up at that voice. _Kaede?_

_Meet me and Hana outside by the cherry blossom tree on the center of the field in 5 minutes. It's important._

Mitsui looked up at the clock and nodded. It was going to be recess time. _Wakatta._ When he felt Rukawa's presence disappear, he leaned against the back of his chair and sighed. _Must be important. He sounded strained._ He then closed his eyes and waited patiently for the bell to ring, the lecture of the teacher keeping him company. 

* * * * * * 

"A WEEK?!" 

Rukawa cringed as both Hanamichi and Mitsui shouted at his face when he announced that. Hanamichi looked so crestfallen, as if he couldn't believe his life span was shortening even more. As for Mitsui, he looked like a helpless child, not knowing what to do. Rukawa shook his head and leaned against the trunk of the cherry blossom tree. "We need t find an angel. It is certain now. My father found out about what I intended to do and spoke to Death himself. He turned the 2 weeks into 1, and at the moment, you have exactly 4 more days to live." 

Hanamichi snorted and turned away. "Thanks for reminding me that, Kitsune. You're a real pal." 

Rukawa sighed and looked at Mitsui. _Can you start looking for an angel now? I need to talk to him in private._

Mitsui nodded at that request and walked away, leaving the two alone. 

When Rukawa was sure that Mitsui was gone and there was no one around, he stepped up to Hanamichi and hugged the redhead to him tightly. Hanamichi was pliant in his arms, but he didn't care. The sorrow and pain emanating from Hanamichi made him want to comfort him and stay by his side for as long as it would take. When Rukawa felt the drop of a tear on his arm, he turned Hanamichi around gently and place his hand to the back of Hanamichi's head as Hanamichi pressed his face into Rukawa's shoulder, soft cries making their way towards Rukawa's ears. Rukawa merely tightened his hold on the redhead and gave a soft kiss on Hanamichi's head. 

Hanamichi tried very hard to sop the flow of tears from falling, but they seemed to have a will of their own as they made their way down his cheek one by one. He couldn't help the sobs that broke past his lips. Who could? If that person knew that he or she was going to die in 4 days, how would that person react? Hanamichi shook his head and buried his face deeper into Rukawa's shoulder. 

Rukawa kissed Hanamichi's forehead and whispered, "I'm sorry...for what I said a while ago." When Hanamichi didn't say anything, he ran his hand down Hanamichi's spine in a comforting manner. "But I told you before, and I'm telling you again, I love you." 

Hanamichi stiffened at those words and raised his head. "Demon's can't love." 

Rukawa nodded and kissed the tip of Hanamichi's nose as his other hand wiped away the tears that continued to fall. "But I do. And I promise you, I will try my best to save you." 

Hanamichi sighed and rested his head on Rukawa's neck, breathing in the scent that was distinctively Rukawa. "I can't believe a demon is making promises to a mortal." 

Rukawa smiled softly. "Hey, at least I kept my first promise, which was to make your wish come true." 

At that, Hanamichi blinked and murmured curiously, "Were you the one that made Haruko-chan come to me that morning?" 

"Well...sorta." 

"Sorta?" 

Rukawa sighed and explained. "She was with her friends, and they were asking each other who they thought was cute and attractive, then they made a dare that they would approach that person they thought of and see if they liked him. I just place your name in Haruko's head and she went to you, and liked you even more. It's not love at first sight or any of those petty tricks, but something that grows." When Hanamichi didn't answer, Rukawa grinned and brushed his lips against Hanamichi's nose lovingly. "Aren't you happy?" 

Hanamichi blushed and extracted himself from Rukawa's hold, though a part of his body wanted to be surrounded by that warmth again. He wiped his face with shaking fingers and sighed. 

"SAKURAGI-KUN!" 

Hanamichi's head whipped up at that scream and his eyes widened with fear at what the saw. Up on the roof of the school, Haruko was leaning against the railing as a cloaked figure holding a scythe floated towards her slowly. Haruko was really scared. Her knees threatened to buckle as Death raised his scythe and aimed it towards the frightened girl, his evil laugh floating everywhere. 

Hanamichi ran towards the rooftop, not hearing Rukawa shouting at him from behind. His mind was set on saving Haruko and nothing else. He ran up the stairs as fast as he ran across the basketball court, and in no time at all, he burst through he door on the roof and looked around wildly. "Haruko?! HARUKO?!" He went to the railing where Haruko had just been and looked down. No one. 

"Hana!" Rukawa shouted as he finally emerged form the door. 

Hanamichi turned around quickly. "Rukawa, where's Haru-" 

But before he could finish his sentence, a black smoke appeared between him and Rukawa. Rukawa cursed and tried to get past, but the dark thing enclosed him in some sort of barrier, which he wasn't able to break. Hanamichi watched with concern when Rukawa continued to pound against the barrier, trying to tell Hanamichi something, but his voice couldn't be heard. 

"Kitsune!" Hanamichi made a move towards Rukawa, and immediately, the form of Death made itself known to the redhead. It laughed evilly as it floated towards Hanamichi, it's cloak moving with an unseen wind. 

Hanamichi backed away until his back hit the railing. He cursed and looked around. He was trapped. He faced Death and shouted, "What do you want?!" 

Death merely laughed at that, and replied coldly, "You." And in a flash, Death swung his scythe towards Hanamichi's neck. Hanamichi managed to back away before the scythe could touch him, but the price was that he lost his balance and fell over the railing, his entire body falling towards the earth in heart stopping speed. 

"HANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rukawa screamed. 

Hanamichi looked down at the ground that was closing in, and closed his eyes tightly. _Kami-sam, tasukete!_

Just when he thought his body was about to smash against the floor, a gust of wind surrounded him followed by gently arms that caught him. He cringed, still feeling that he might have died a painful death, and was in the after world. But when nothing happened, nothing changed, he opened his eyes cautiously, and gasped in shock. Feathers... 

_White_ feathers... 

Hanamichi glanced at the arms that held him, which were glowing with light, and moved his gaze higher. His eyes saw nothing but white, a perfect shade of white. His eyes widened when he saw white wings, and impatient, he looked up at the face of the person who caught him and gasped. "Me-Megane-kun?!..." 

Kogure breathed a sigh of relief, and whispered, "You're okay now, Sakuragi." 

Hanamichi stared in shock. _Megane-kun's an...angel..._ With that, he felt his head roll back, and he fainted. 

**TBC**

Camry: WAI! I'm back! ^_^ hehe! I'm back, I'm back, I'm back, I'm back! Weee!! I had a GREAT vacation, but since I'm back, it's time to get busy again! ^_^ Did you guys miss me? Hmmm? Hehe! You don't need to answer that. Anyway, what did ya think of the chapter? REVIEW please! ^_^ ARIGATOU! Wai! Camry's back and ready to write! Nyahahahahahahaha! Ore wa TENSAI! ^_^ 


	9. Chapter Nine

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Nine**

Mitsui stopped walking around when he felt a strange aura coming from the area where he had left Rukawa and Hanamichi. He turned sharply and ran back towards that place, surprising a few students on the way. He shook his head when another aura appeared, blending with the first one. His eyes widened when he recognized the second aura. _Angel? Masaka!_

He jumped off the second flight of stairs and exited the building from the side. He landed on the ground gracefully, shocking again a few people that were present, but he didn't care. An angel! He had finally found an ANGEL! He turned a corner and continued running, faintly noting that the first aura had disappeared. He grimaced slightly. He had now found an angel, the next problem was to ASK for his or her help. A very hard thing to do... 

He shrugged and rounded the last corner. He didn't mind. If this was going to save him from Rukawa's wrath, he'd stake his pride on it. 

"HANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

Mitsui stopped short when he heard that scream, and he looked up to find the source. His eyes widened. _Sakuragi?!_ Then, he saw a black figure moving closer to the redhead, and felt his insides drop. "Death!" _What was he doing here?! He isn't suppose to get Hanamichi yet!_

Hanamichi leaned against the railing, trying his best to avoid contact with Death. Mitsui looked around and saw that there was no one around. Good. He closed his eyes and unleashed his power. Immediately, he felt his hair grow longer, his clothes change, and a pair of black wings emerged from his back. He formed his own scythe in his hand and flew up, hoping to distract Death. He stopped when he finally reached their level, but another thing happened. Death swung his scythe towards Hanamichi's neck. Hanamichi tumbled off the railing and fell towards the ground. 

Mitsui cursed and was about to fly down to catch Hanamichi's body, when he felt it again. The presence of the angel. Then, in amazement, he watched as from under Hanamichi, a bright light formed itself and caught Hanamichi before he could hit the ground. Mitsui paused in his flying and just hovered, placing his hand in front of his eyes to block the light. He couldn't see anything. 

"Me-Megane-kun?!" 

_What?!_ Mitsui's eyes opened instantly when he heard Hanamichi's voice. Megane-kun?...Wasn't that what Hanamichi called...He got his answer when the light faded away slowly, and he felt his mind stop when he saw the face of Kogure smiling gently at Hanamichi. He felt his entire body slacken. _You..._

Kogure spoke to Hanamichi softly, too softly for Mitsui to hear, and Mitsui watched as Hanamichi fell heavily against the spectacled boy. Kogure looked at the redhead for a while, then, he looked up at Mitsui with calm eyes and said, "It's okay. He just fainted." 

Mitsui swallowed and stuttered, "But-how-you...what?...I mean-" Mitsui knew that he looked like a complete fool there, his mouth open and his mind in a whirl, but he couldn't help it. He had actually LIKED an ANGEL! 

Kogure narrowed his eyes then looked up. "I think that your friend needs help up there." 

"What?" Mitsui gasped out, then, he felt Rukawa's presence becoming darker and darker by the second. He looked up and cursed, seeing that Rukawa was starting to lose control. He glanced at Kogure. 

Kogure smiled warmly at him. "Don't worry. I'll bring him to the clinic. You help Rukawa-san for now." 

Mitsui watched Kogure for a few seconds, then shook his head. He flew up and felt Rukawa's aura surrounding his body, choking him slightly as it thickened, looking like black smoke from a fire. He looked around and gasped. Rukawa was standing there, looking like he was ready to destroy the entire world, and he had Death pinned to the floor. Even Death couldn't beat the power of Satan and his son. 

Rukawa's eyes were emotionless as he stepped closer to Death, his arms crackling with electricity and fire. "Die." 

Death moved back. "Now, now, Kaede, there's no need to be angry. He was just a MORTAL." 

Rukawa's eyes glowed a deep blue as tears made its way silently down his cheek. He didn't mind them. Instead, he stopped and levitated himself up, his wings spreading themselves to their limits. His long hair moved with the air that he created with his power, and the area around him started breaking apart, not being able to endure the power Rukawa gave out. He lifted himself higher into the air and formed a large back orb in his hands made out of black fire, lightning, and shadows of the dead. His mouth was grim, and his eyes were glowing a pale blue mixed with neon green. 

Mitsui shivered. He had always been afraid of Rukawa since they were kids, even though Rukawa was two years younger than him. Up to now, the fear was still present when he watched all of these things take place. He knew. This was just a SMALL part of Rukawa's power. And still, it was more than 10,000 demons capability. 

Even Death was unsure of what may take place. 

Mitsui decided to end Rukawa's rage for the meantime. It would bring hell up on earth if Rukawa decided to blast Death. He wove his way quickly through the thick air of aura, and when he finally got to Rukawa's side, he shouted, "Kaede! Yamette!" 

Rukawa didn't stop. The orb in his hands became bigger as he moved towards Death predatorily, his eyes still glowing. 

Mitsui tried to touch Rukawa, but when his fingers grazed the side of Rukawa's arm, a flash of electricity traveled from the raven haired boy to Mitsui. Mitsui cursed, seeing that his finger got burned, then he shouted over all the noise created by Rukawa's power, "KAEDE! Hanamichi's okay!" 

Rukawa paused slightly. 

Mitsui mentally congratulated himself for finding out the source of Rukawa's fear or anger. He stepped up and said again in a soft voice, "He's okay. Kogure brought him to the clinic." 

Slowly, Rukawa's defenses lowered as the orb in his hand became smaller. Finally, the dark aura faded away, together with the orb and the electricity, and Mitsui was staring back at the old Rukawa, long hair, leather jeans, black sleeveless shirt, and black wings. Even the blue eyes were back. Mitsui gave a relieved smile then murmured, "Welcome back." 

Rukawa nodded at him, then turned his attention back to Death. Angrily, he demanded, "Why the hell did you attack Hana?" 

Death, who was slightly shaken up by the power Rukawa revealed, coughed to regain its composure and said in an airy voice, "That is for me to know and you to find out." And, without wanting to have anything to do with the Dark Prince, he disappeared with the gust of wind that blew, leaving Rukawa and Mitsui glaring at his direction. 

Rukawa shook his head to clear it as he groaned in annoyance. "Damn Death..." 

Mitsui sighed, then, when he remembered the other news, he shook his head. "Oh yeah, Kaede?" 

"Hmmm?" 

Mitsui's smile looked so strained when he faced Rukawa. "Ano...I have found an angel." 

Rukawa's eyes widened as his mouth broke out into a smile and a laugh. "That-that..." Then, since he couldn't help himself, he jumped in the air, his wings lifting his body off the ground. "THAT'S GREAT!" He shouted happily, laughing in the air. 

Mitsui chuckled in response to Rukawa's enthusiasm. "A...Haha...yeah, but...I haven't asked him yet...about the...fighting thing..." 

Rukawa was still in happy land. "That's okay! I'll ask him!" Then, he landed beside Mitsui and grinned up at his cousin. "So, what's the name of the guy?" 

Mitsui sighed and bent his head. 

Rukawa blinked at Mitsui's reaction. He observed his cousin with detached eyes. "Why? What's wrong?" 

Mitsui looked up and murmured, "Remember the guy I liked, the one named Kogure?" 

"Yeah, the innocent guy in the clinic." 

"Yeah, well..." Mitsui's shoulders slumped down in defeat. "HE's the angel." 

Rukawa stared at his cousin for a while, his mind still processing what Mitsui had just said. Then, after a moment of closing and opening his mouth over and over again, he coughed and shook his head to clear his throat. "Kogure...the one you..." 

"Uhuh..." Mitsui replied sadly. 

"The one with the brown hair and eyeglasses...?" 

"Uhuh..." Mitsui replied just as sadly. 

"He's an...angel?" 

Mitsui sniffed. "Uhuh..." 

Rukawa paused for a while, his eyes trained on the clouds that passed by. Then, he gave a small laugh then said, "I thought that falling for a MORTAL was bad enough, but falling for an ANGEL-" 

Mitsui snapped his head up to see Rukawa's amused grin. "Would you stop rubbing in that fact?!" 

Rukawa laughed out loud and changed back to his original clothes. Then, he turned and started going towards the clinic. "Yeah, yeah. come on. I wanna see how Hana's doing." 

Mitsui snorted and changed into his normal clothes as well. "That's all that you have in your head. Hana this, Hana that." 

"At least I'm not the one who fell for an ANGEL." 

"DAMN YOU!!!!!" 

And the entire staircase was filled with Rukawa's amused laughter and Mitsui's threats of Death and such as they made their way towards the clinic. 

* * * * * * 

Koshino cut off the image link that was trained on Rukawa, then turned towards the other person in the room with raised eyes. Sendoh was rolling on the floor of his office, strangled laughter and chuckles making their way past his lips. He held his stomach tightly as tears streamed down his face, finding what had happened to his stepbrother VERY amusing. 

Koshino raised an eyebrow. "You know, you should be CONCERNED for your brother at the moment, NOT AMUSED." 

Sendoh continued to laugh, doubling over at the way his sides started aching. "He...fell...for an...ANGEL!" He pounded his hands on the ground, shaking his head left to right at that fact. 

Koshino sighed and turned around to face murmured, "Falling for an angel is against the law." 

Sendoh's laugh stopped so suddenly that Koshino was about to turn and see what had happened to Sendoh, when all of a sudden, warm arms encircled his torso, and his back was against a warm, broad chest. Koshino struggled to get Sendoh to release him, but to no avail, Sendoh wouldn't let him go. Koshino sighed in defeat. "What now?" 

"You said that falling for an angel is against the law." Sendoh whispered against his ear. 

Koshino shivered and blushed dark red. "So what if I did? It's the truth." 

Sendoh grinned. "Well, I guess I have broken that rule." 

Koshino raised both eyebrows in question. "What do you mean?" 

Sendoh smiled and nuzzled Koshino's neck. "I have fallen for a FALLEN angel, myself." 

Koshino groaned and tried to push Sendoh away. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that-" Koshino's sentence was cut off when Sendoh captured his lips with his own, slipping his tongue in Koshino's mouth. Koshino moaned at that and leaned against Sendoh heavily, his legs giving out on him. When the kiss ended, he was breathless and mind washed. 

Sendoh grinned at the result given to him and said happily, "Any objections?" 

Koshino shook his head. "Don't you take anything SERIOUSLY?" 

"No, coz you take them TOO SERIOUSLY, my fallen angel." 

Koshino sighed and whispered, "You and your brother are really weird." 

Sendoh laughed at that. "Hey, with him falling for an angel, I'd say I'm normal!" 

As Sendoh continued to laugh again, Koshino couldn't stop a small smile from forming on his face as he looked up at his lover's smiling face. With each day, the situation their friends had on the other world was getting more and more complicated, but...even if it was getting to be that way, it looked like the 2 demons wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Mitsui may have looked shocked, but he didn't look disgusted at the fact that Kogure was an angel. And as for Rukawa... 

Koshino smiled gently. It has been written down that demons could never love, but...after what he just saw, Rukawa was ready to kill anyone who would hurt Hanamichi. 

**TBC**

Camry: Lalalalalalalalalala...well? How was it? ^_^ I know, I know...it wasn't such a good chapter. SORRY! Wasn't inspired again! WAAH! My mind is still in vacation mode. Hmmm...oh well. Anyway, what did ya think of it? REVIEW please! Thank you! 


	10. Chapter Ten

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Ten**

Hanamichi was dreaming...or, that was what he thought he was doing. He vaguely remembered seeing Megane-kun's face before he fainted, and until that moment, his eyes have remained sealed shut. However, he heard a disturbing sound all around him, and being the curious, redhead that he was, he opened his eyes and got the shock of his life. 

He was in the center of some sort of assembly. The walls were so high and built with black marble that it looked magnificent and scary at the same time. There were no furniture and things around the main hall, but around 6 people, or should he say, DEMONS, were lurking about. Hanamichi looked at the center of the hall and his eyes widened. There was a painting of what seemed like the Royal family of the Underworld. Rukawa was on the very left, his mother, on the very right, and at the center... 

Hanamichi swallowed. He had always thought that Satan was a figure made out of fire or something that cannot be easily described or distinguished. Well, he was close. Satan was a mix of a human being that looked like a half-giant, and he had a VERY dark aura around him, darker and bigger than Rukawa's. He looked like the worse father, but the perfect evil leader. 

Hanamichi gulped. Okay. He has figured out by now that he is in the palace of the Underworld, but how does he get out? 

"Your Great, I have news for you." 

Hanamichi stiffened at that airy voice. _Death!_ He turned around swiftly to see Death floating towards the person on the throne. Hanamichi's heart stopped. Satan...and Death...why didn't he notice them earlier? 

Satan opened his eyes at the voice of Death and shifted his attention fully on the hooded figure. "What is it?" 

Death knelt down in front of Satan and said hurriedly, "Your Great, your son seems to be very serious about the mortal. He brought out a small part of his power, which could have caused trouble for the Underworld if Heaven found out about it. I know that you have told me not to battle with your son, but it also seems that he has found an angel." 

Satan's eyes narrowed. "An angel and a devil together will make the strongest combination." 

"Quite, your great." 

Satan sighed then clenched his hand into a fist, clearly not liking the way things were going. He sat there pondering on what was the best course of action to take for a while, occasionally murmuring to himself. Finally, he looked at Death with a determined glare and said, "Fight with that puny son of mine. And that angel. After all, I don't think that they'll be able to beat you. You haven't exactly shown your ENTIRE strength in front of him yet, have you?" 

Death shook his head. "The last time I showed my power was 60 years ago, and that was only a small portion. I think that is what most of them who were present remember." 

Satan nodded. "Good, then they don't know who they're dealing with." 

"One more question, your great." Death asked cautiously. When Satan looked at him, he asked, "What do I do about the mortal? I have already attacked him, as you ordered." 

Satan grinned slowly at that question. "His death will take place in 4 days. Let him have all the fun that he wants. After all, once he dies, my son will forget about him and marry his bride." 

Death smiled that evil smile and faded away. "As you wish, your great." 

Hanamichi watched as everything around him started to fade away into darkness. He stood there and watched as the scenery disappeared together with the demons, and finally, he was all alone in the dark. He stood there for a while, not knowing what to do after what he had just heard. Death was strong, stronger than Rukawa and Megane-kun, and he had only 4 more days to go, and Rukawa...he was going to get a bride after he died. Hanamichi felt saddened at that last thought and closed his eyes, drifting off into oblivion with the same thought in his head. After he died, Rukawa was going to choose his bride... 

Hanamichi felt a tear slide down his cheek. _And to think that I thought that I loved him..._

* * * * * * 

Kogure held Hanamichi's hand in his, watching the redhead's face for any reactions. He looked at the clock and sighed. _Well, there goes my 2 subjects after recess...Akagi's going to kill me._ He chuckled at that thought. Akagi was a very serious basketball player, but he too was a very protective friend. Kogure ran a hand through his hair. _Well, he'd have to make an excuse for his absence._

Just as he thought that, the clinic door opened and Kogure was alert again. _They're here..._

The 2 dark auras drew closer and closer to him and Hanamichi. Kogure sighed and stood up just as Mitsui pulled the curtain back, facing Kogure straight in the face. Kogure smiled at him. "Hi." 

Mitsui blinked and nodded back stiffly, still shocked about the fact. 

Rukawa sighed at his cousin's reaction and grinned at Kogure. "Hey there, angel." 

Kogure smiled back. "Nice to meet you too, devil." 

Rukawa saw Hanamichi lying on the bed and made his way towards the sleeping boy, his face softening slightly when he noticed that Hanamichi wasn't hurt. He turned to Kogure and whispered, "I have a proposition to make, and I don't know if you'll agree with me." 

Kogure noted the look on Rukawa's face and gave his full attention to the raven haired boy. "What is it?" 

Rukawa cleared his throat. "Ah...that is..." 

"Hmmm?" Kogure tipped his head to one side, wondering what the demon had to say. 

Rukawa sighed and turned to face Kogure fully, his mouth slightly turned up in a smile. "I want to save Hanamichi here from his fate, which is to die in 4 days, and my only option now is to ask an angel to fight with me against Death, so..." 

Kogure's eyes widened. 

Rukawa shook his head and asked out, "Would you help me?" 

Kogure was too shocked to answer. If he remembered his history research right, Rukawa Kaede was the SON of SATAN, and clearly one of the most powerful demons that has ever existed. Death's power was unknown, but to ask an angel for help was against everything in their world, and it signified putting down your pride, which is one of the hardest things for a demon to do. Kogure swallowed. For a demon to ask him for help was... 

Rukawa saw the look of calculation on Kogure's face and smiled. "I know, I know...if we lose, I get to be eaten by the fires of both Heaven and Hell, and you'll be punished for helping a demon." 

Kogure smiled at Rukawa warmly. "I don't mind." 

Rukawa and Mitsui's eyes both looked up at the same time. "What?" 

Kogure smiled wider and stepped forward. "I said that I don't mind fighting with you. Sakuragi-kun is my teammate and friend, plus..." He looked at Mitsui warmly. "I'm not about to say no to 2 demon's who aren't that bad." 

Mitsui gave a relieved sigh. "Yokatta." 

Rukawa smiled gratefully at Kogure. "Arigatou, Kogure-san." 

"No problem." 

Just then, Rukawa's attention was diverted to Hanamichi once again. They all watched apprehensively as Hanamichi opened his eyes slowly and focused them on Rukawa's towering face. Rukawa smiled at his redhead and whispered, "Ohayo, Hana." Hanamichi stared at him for a while, then sighed as he stood up. Rukawa narrowed his eyes in confusion at Hanamichi's action, and stood in front of him, trying to get his attention. "Hana?" Rukawa blinked when Hanamichi _deliberately_ faced the opposite direction, obviously not wanting to talk to Rukawa or even see his face. Rukawa blinked, totally confused. "Hana?" 

"I should have known." 

Rukawa drew back at that harsh whisper. He cautiously answered the redhead, not knowing what was going on. He tried to read Hanamichi's thoughts, but they were too jumbled up to understand. "You should have known what, Hana?" 

"DON'T CALL ME THAT, AKUMA!" Hanamichi shouted, surprising all of the occupants of the clinic. 

Mitsui bit his lip, noticing how much Rukawa was holding himself back from shouting himself. Mitsui couldn't blame him. Rukawa WAS worried for Hanamichi's health and had nearly lost his mind a while back there, and now, Hanamichi wakes up and starts saying these things... He steeped up to demand what was going on when someone held his arm back. He looked at the owner of the arm and felt his mind cooling slowly at the look Kogure had on his face. "Let's leave them alone for now." 

Mitsui stared at Kogure for a while, then at Rukawa's clenched fists. He sighed and nodded, following the spectacled boy out of the room obediently. He had enough problems as it is, and his mind couldn't take another one at the moment. 

When Hanamichi and Rukawa were all alone, Rukawa sat on the side of the bed and reached out for Hanamichi. "What's wrong, Hana-" 

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" Hanamichi shouted again as he slapped Rukawa's hand away, turning his face towards his right. 

Rukawa glared at the redhead and shouted back, "What the hell is wrong with you?!" 

Hanamichi whipped hi head up and raised a fist. "I HATE YOU!" He brought his fist towards Rukawa's cheek. Rukawa, however, saw that coming, and easily caught the punch that was about to hit him, gripping the trapped hand of Hanamichi tight. Hanamichi cursed and shouted, "I HATE YOU!! YOU ARE THE BIGGEST LIAR IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!" 

Rukawa's eyes flashed, and in an instant, he turned Hanamichi around and trapped him to his body, Hanamichi's back against his chest, and his arms enclosed in his arms. Rukawa held the furious redhead down as he got out, "What are you talking about?!" 

Hanamichi turned his flushed face back at Rukawa angrily. "You're getting MARRIED!" 

Rukawa stiffened at that statement as Hanamichi breathed in and out, his face hot from the position Rukawa place them in and the way Rukawa's chest seemed so warm and soft against his back. But he pushed those thought away as he started to struggle out of Rukawa's grip, which was easy to accomplish since Rukawa had gone still and silent at the same time. 

Hanamichi sat on the farthest side of the bed and leaned his head against the wall, his eyes trained on Rukawa. 

Finally, Rukawa lifted his head up and his eyes met Hanamichi. "How..." 

Hanamichi crossed his arms over his chest. "I saw it in my dream. Your father and Death talking to each other about the battle, my death, and your getting MARRIED." Hanamichi snorted, disgusted at himself and at the raven haired boy in front of him. "You know, I was actually starting to believe you and your crap about how you LOVED me, but I guess it was all just a JOKE for you." He sat up and stabbed Rukawa on the chest. "_You_ never loved me, _you_ just wanted to have some fun while you were on earth, _you_ just wanted to play with a mortal's heart, and after that mortal dies, _you_ will get married and live a wonderful life, isn't that right?!" 

Rukawa shook his head slowly. "No, that's not it." 

Hanamichi chuckled silently at that reply. He stood up from the bed and place on his shoes. "You know, you are one pathetic demon. To think that you even made me believe that you loved me, and that I loved you..." 

Rukawa lifted his gaze at that sentence, his mouth slightly parted when he heard the last part. 

Hanamichi gave him a sneer and walked towards the door. "But, who cares, right? It was all just a game for you. You're gonna get MARRIED to another demon, and you just wanted to have some fun." Hanamichi turned around to face Rukawa and shouted out, "Well, I'M gonna have my fun too! I'm going to go out with HARUKO tomorrow, because SHE'S the one I LOVE, and you'll go back to your world and have the greatest time telling your WIFE how your played the perfect demon to mortals!" With that, Hanamichi went out of the clinic and slammed the door shut. 

When he was gone, Rukawa stared at the spot where Hanamichi was just standing, his mind unable to process anything but what Hanamichi had just said. 

_"I HATE YOU!"_

_"You never loved me, you just wanted to have some fun while you were on earth, you just wanted to play with a mortal's heart, and after that mortal dies, you will get married and live a wonderful life, isn't that right?!"_

_"You know, you are one pathetic demon. To think that you even made me believe that you loved me, and that I loved you..."_

Rukawa shut his eyes tight as he clenched his hands into fists. "That's...not it..." He bowed his head low and without warning, a tear drop fell on the bed as his shoulders started shaking, his eyes covered by his hair. As more tear drops started to fall, he choked back a sob and gasped out, "I love _you_, Hana..." But it was too late. 

Hanamichi was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

**TBC**

Camry: *sniff* Awww...poor Hanamichi and Rukawa...Anyway, what did ya think? Don't worry, don't worry, the ending will be nice! No losing of memory, no separating, just...AH! I can't tell you that! Hehe! Oh, and if you don't know the meaning of the word "akuma", it means devil. Anyway, how was it? Come on! REVIEW please! ^_^ Thanks a lot! Hope you enjoyed this! 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Eleven**

Hanamichi strode down the hall, too furious to even think straight, when all of a sudden, a black force conjured itself in front of him. Hanamichi stood still and in battle stance, ready to fight off whatever the thing was. But before he could do anything, the black form threw itself on his body and 2 hands grasped his shoulder. Hanamichi gasped and looked up into the owner of those hands. "MITSUI!" 

Mitsui growled and hurled Hanamichi towards the wall, his face masked in rage as he held Hanamichi by his neck. "What the hell did you do to my cousin?" 

Hanamichi was shocked at that question and action, but instead of bursting out his anger, he bowed his head laughed sadistically. Mitsui raised an eyebrow and was about to demand what Hanamichi thought was funny when Hanamichi gripped Mitsui's arm firmly and said in between maniacal laughs, "Oh sure. Now everything's MY fault, right?" 

Mitsui grinded his teeth together. "I didn't say that." 

Hanamichi snorted. "Believe me, it doesn't take a psychic or mind reader to know what's written on your FACE." 

Mitsui cursed and squeezed Hanamichi's neck tighter. "What the hell happened with you two? Rukawa's aura has COMPLETELY disappeared! If ever Death comes for you again, he won't be able to protect you, even with Kogure's help!" 

"PROTECT ME?!" Hanamichi shouted back, his face contorted into a disbelieving look. He tore Mitsui's hand away from his neck and pushed the older demon away from him, his fists clenched hard. "Are you all just playing this stupid game together?! Do you all enjoy making mortals feel stupid and low after playing with their emotions, and in the end, you never even cared for them?!" 

Mitsui's eyes narrowed as he stepped up to the redhead. "What do you mean?" 

"That your stupid cousin said that he LOVED me when in fact he doesn't!" Hanamichi burst out fiercely. 

Mitsui bristled. "But he DOES love you!" 

"Then why the hell is he getting MARRIED?!" 

Mitsui's eyes widened as he stepped back from Hanamichi, who was breathing rapidly in front of him. Mitsui stood still, just like what Rukawa had done when Hanamichi told him about the marriage thing. After a while, Mitsui lifted his head to meet Hanamichi's disturbed and angered face. "How?" 

Hanamichi threw up his arms in the air and shook his head. "My God! Are you and your cousin equally THAT stupid?! HE asked me the very same question when I said that!" 

Mitsui clenched his fist, his body strained. "How'd you know about that, Hanamichi?!" 

"I saw it in my dream, okay?!" Hanamichi retorted. "I saw Satan and Death talking to each other about it all." 

Mitsui's mouth became grim as he contemplated the issue. "You saw it in your dream." His eyebrows came together, making him look very disturbed. "How the hell did you get that dream? Humans aren't suppose to see anything in the Underworld." 

Hanamichi shrugged heatedly in response. "Look, I don't know how, and I don't care." He blinked when he remembered something. "Hey, the Haruko I saw on the roof before I fell off, was she real or not?" 

Mitsui shook his head. "I spoke with Kogure. He explained the whole thing to me. Death just conjured an image of Haruko to lure you in. The real Haruko was safe all along." 

Hanamichi nodded and turned away, walking down the corridor. 

Mitsui took a step forward. "Why'd you want to know that, Hanamichi?" 

"Coz I'm going to ask her out on a date." 

Mitsui blinked at that and tried to reach for the redhead, but before anything could escape his mouth, Hanamichi had already turned towards the left corridor and disappeared from his sight. Mitsui sighed and dropped his hand down. _Kaede..._ He turned his head slightly towards the wall on his left and saw the image of his cousin crying silently on the bed, blood dripping from the wounds his nails inflicted on the palms of his hands. Mitsui felt helpless. Rukawa had a duty to make Hanamichi's wish come true, which was to get the girl of his dreams. Rukawa had done his duty, but now... 

Mitsui felt another aura come around from behind. He turned his head slightly and watched Kogure approach him with pained eyes. Mitsui understood Rukawa's feelings very well. The person they loved was so close, and yet, so far. It was a hard situation to be stuck in, but they had managed to get buried deeper than they thought. 

Kogure stopped beside him and whispered, "I'm guessing that the fight with Death will be very hard." 

Mitsui nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry." 

Kogure shook his head softly, then looked up at Mitsui's face. "Do you have faith, Mitsui-kun?" 

Mitsui chuckled hoarsely at that. "I'm a demon, remember? We aren't allowed to have faith." 

"But you do have some, don't you?" 

Mitsui paused in his ministrations and stared at the beautiful boy beside him. He shrugged in response as he turned away, trying to hide his blush by giving the spectacled boy a cool shrug. "Maybe." 

Kogure smiled and walked down the corridor where Hanamichi just passed. "Then I think that there's still hope in the situation that we are all stuck in. Even though we have been buried into this very hard trial," He turned and gave Mitsui's dumbfounded look a radiating smile. "I think that everything will turn out in the end. That's how big my faith is in people who find love." With that, he turned towards the right corridor, leaving Mitsui speechless. 

After a while, Mitsui's shoulders finally lowered themselves, his cheeks hot. _He heard me...he actually HEARD my thoughts..._ He shook his head in disbelief and was about to walk down the other way, deciding to give his cousin a few more minutes of getting over Hanamichi before lunch starts and to give himself some time to clear his mind. 

He walked down the hall, thinking of what ACCIDENT, as his brother called it, to do now so that Hanamichi and Rukawa could stay together, but under the circumstances... 

It was nearly IMPOSSIBLE. 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi heard the bell ring, signaling that lunchtime was in order, and he stood up from his seat to stretch his body, followed by a very disturbed Yohei. Yohei walked up to his best friend and asked, "Hanamichi, you okay?" 

"Eh? Why'd you say that, Yohei?" Hanamichi replied TOO enthusiastically. 

Yohei sweat dropped then pointed at the redhead. "You've been acting weird since you came back from the clinic." Yohei scratched his head thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, this was the 2nd time you came back in the middle of class from the clinic acting strange and stuff." 

Hanamichi laughed at that and slapped Yohei on the back good-naturedly. "NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Don't worry, Yohei! I'm the tensai, remember? There's nothing wrong with me!" 

Yohei looked doubtful, but pushed the issue away and shifted on to another topic. "By the way, have you seen Rukawa-" 

"AH!" Hanamichi shouted all of a sudden, sending Yohei falling to the ground. 

Yohei sat up and gave his friend a weird look. "What the heck was that for?!" 

"Warui, warui! I have to go somewhere! Ja!" Hanamichi ran out of the classroom before anyone could say 'Ja!' back. He ran all the way outside and finally stopped when he exited the building. He sighed under his breath and looked up at the window of his classroom. "Gomen, Yohei, but I don't want to hear his name." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked down the pavement, noticing other students eating their lunch together. 

He sighed, lost in his own thoughts. _What the hell is wrong with me?! I'm acting like some love sick girl who found out her boyfriend was cheating on her. Besides, it's not like I really loved the guy. Ch! How pathetic can I get?!_ Hanamichi blushed at that thought. _More like, I had a CRUSH on him. Or maybe since he was the only person who seemed to be affectionate with me, I was infatuated with him. Hell! There are a MILLION reasons!_

He thought the whole situation over for around 5 minutes as he walked around the campus. _I guess I was a bit too harsh on him. I mean, come on! Me? GAY? Hah! All that love crap of his was just a joke, a FRIENDLY joke, and I made it all seem like a reality to me. I took it too seriously._ Hanamichi stopped in his tracks and looked up at the sky. _I guess I should apologize to him later when I get home. It's not like I want to die. Besides, he said that he would protect me, in a FRIENDLY manner, mind you._

Hanamichi nodded at that thought as he whispered, "Yeah, that's right. I'll say that I'm sorry for taking it out on him. I'll say that I misunderstood him, that I still love Haruko, but I THOUGHT I loved him. Yeah. Besides, he's just a friend, after all, nothing more, nothing less..." 

Hanamichi lifted his gaze at that moment and spotted Haruko surrounded by her friends under a cherry blossom tree. He gazed at her for a few seconds, wondering what to do as he watched the petals dance around her as if they had a life of their own. _I still like her, right? So...I guess that I'll ask her out. Tomorrow's a Sunday, after all._ With that, he strolled over towards Haruko. 

* * * * * * 

Satan moved towards the orb Death held in his hands and narrowed his eyes. "So, it seems that the problem regarding my son has been solved." 

"Yes, your great." Death replied with a grin. "To invite that mortal into our world and hear our conversation was a brilliant tactic, your great. Even I didn't think of that." 

Satan watched the image inside the orb. The mortal with red hair approached a girl and asked if she would like to go out with him tomorrow. The girl smiled up and him, a faint blush tinting her cheeks as she replied that she would love to. Satan nodded at that. "Good, very good." 

The scene shifted towards Rukawa, who was out of the clinic and walking about the school corridors, his eyes blank. Death blinked. "What do we do about him, your great." 

"Leave him alone for now. He will get over this stupid mortal soon." 

The image shifted again to show Mitsui eating his lunch alone. Then, a young boy with eyeglasses came up to the demon to give him some paperwork. The white glow emitting from the spectacled boy was not confused with anyone else. Death shifted his head to the side. "What do we do about Mitsui and the angel, your great?" 

Satan waved his hand about. "Mitsui hasn't performed any form of affection towards the boy since the truth has been revealed, so nothing shall be done. As for the angel, when you battle my son and him, make sure to destroy the angel completely. Let my son live." 

Death nodded as he faded away again into the darkness, the orb still dangling in the air. "As you have commanded, your great." Then, he was gone. 

Satan drew the orb closer to him and watched the image change again from Mitsui to his son. He watched the raven haired boy sit down on his seat and lay his head down on the desk, trying to fall asleep. Satan smiled as he murmured, "Sylvester, come here." 

The assistant came towards Satan with an air of confidence. "Yes, your great?" 

Satan smiled evilly. "Send out the invitations to my son's marriage ceremony TODAY. The marriage will be TOMORROW at 10:00 pm instead of Wednesday. Also, tell Death to change the date of Death of Sakuragi Hanamichi to Monday at noon. That way, there will be no interruptions and or disruption. Understood?" 

Sylvester nodded, a sly grin on his face. "Yes, your great." And with a snap, he was gone. 

Satan stared at his son from the orb and chuckled diabolically, "Nothing can go wrong now." 

**TBC**

Camry: WAI!!!!! I'm closing in on the ending! Hey, this fanfic is going to turn into an NC-17 in the near future, so...when the fic becomes NC-17 on the main page, that means that that part has been posted. If not, then...it's not yet there! Duh! Anyway...REVIEW please?! ^_^ Oh! And I'll try my best to circle the story around Kogure and Mitsui too. Now then, REVIEW please! 


	12. Chapter Twelve

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Twelve**

Sendoh slumped down on his armchair as he twirled his finger around the black wings in front of him. "The situation's getting weirder and weirder each minute." He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he recounted and reviewed everything that had happened and will be happening so far. "Okay, Satan knows about Kae-chan's little love life with Hanamichi. Mitsui's fallen for a mortal himself, only his mortal turns out to be an angel. Satan and Death show Hanamichi their conversation through his dream, which results to Hanamichi bursting out his anger and frustration on poor Kaede. Kaede is heart broken, and his aura has completely disappeared, thus, making him vulnerable. 

"Mitsui, on the other hand, hasn't made any moves towards Kiminobu since the realization scenario. Satan shifts the date of Kaede's marriage for tomorrow, and the death of Hanamichi the next day. The weird thing is, why would he make Kaede get married tomorrow when Death would come for Hanamichi the next day? Does he think that Kaede will give up fighting for him because he is married and he is a demon who really doesn't care anymore about the redhead, or does Satan think that Kaede will still fight for Hanamichi, and for a safety measure, tells Death not to kill his only son?" He shook his head, deep in thought as he continued twirling his finger around the black wing. 

Koshino sighed in reply. "I wouldn't know what Satan would be thinking, but for the record," He snatched the part of his wing which was being used by Sendoh as a twirly plaything away from the blue eyed demon. "Would you stop using my wing as a distraction of some sort?!" 

"Gomen, gomen." Sendoh offered with a smile. Then, he rubbed his chin as if he was a detective of some sort. "But think about it, Hiro. It's almost like Satan's taking drastic measures to make sure that Kaede follows his path." 

"Well, its not like Kaede's ever fallen for a mortal before." 

"True, but Satan never bothered with his son before." Sendoh shook his head and stood up. "Why the heck would he change the day of Kaede's marriage AND still anticipate the battle with Death?" 

Koshino shrugged. "You do know that Satan has the power to see the future. That part of his power may be small, but it is very reliable for him. Maybe he saw that Kaede would try to do something, and he made a back up plan for that course of action. And as for Hanamichi's case, he can't exactly KILL the mortal who has conjured Kaede up until..." His eyes widened in understanding. "The 2 weeks have passed or the demon that has been called gets married." 

Sendoh considered that explanation. "Right. That may be the reason." He looked towards his lover in question. "Do you think we should tell Kaede about this?" 

"I already know." 

Both Koshino and Sendoh jumped at the sound of that voice and they turned around quickly, their eyes trained on the black figure that moved away from the shadow of the room towards the light Sendoh's flame created. Koshino shivered involuntarily. Rukawa was not exactly smiling, but he had a thoughtful look on his face as he came forward, his body still moving as graceful as usual. The only difference was...the eyes looked dead. There was no light in it, no spark, nothing. Koshino wondered if Hanamichi's accusation really blew the young prince away. 

Sendoh covered up his surprise by clearing his throat and giving one of his best smiles at his cousin. "Kaede! How are you?" 

Kaede gave a small smile, but that smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'm fine." 

Sendoh nodded and voiced out cautiously, "So...you've heard about the marriage and the fight with Death agenda? How?" 

"Sylvester came to me and told me about it, so I came here to tell my father that I am okay with the change of plans for the wedding. As for the battle with Death, I overheard it from your conversation." 

Sendoh blinked at that answer. "And you're not angry? Worried? Curious? Anything?" 

"What reason would I have to be? I am an akuma, after all. Akuma's have no feelings." 

Koshino swallowed nervously as Rukawa said that. Rukawa seemed to say it with a smile on his lips, but his eyes hardened sharply and his aura seemed to flow out of his body. Koshino drew back until he was behind Sendoh, not trusting himself to be vulnerable at a time like this. 

Sendoh noticed Koshino's action and reached out to hold his lovers arm comfortingly as he continued his conversation with his cousin. "I see...Well then, have you told Hanamichi about this yet?" 

Rukawa seemed to stiffen at the sound of that name, but he brushed it away as if it was just some kind of bug. "I will tell him about the situation when he gets home tonight. I will also inform Hisashi about it, so that both minds will be at ease if ever they wonder where I will be tomorrow." With that, Rukawa nodded respectfully at both Koshino and Sendoh, and turned to leave, creating a warp hole in front of him. 

"What about the battle with Death, Kaede?" 

Rukawa paused in his stride at that question, then, he shrugged. "I don't know." Then, he was gone, leaving Sendoh speechless for once in his entire life. 

Koshino sighed worriedly when Rukawa finally disappeared. "What's going to happen now, Akira?" 

Sendoh shook his head and hugged Koshino to him. "I don't know." 

Koshino buried his face in Sendoh's shirt. "That was the answer I was afraid of." 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi walked down the road towards his house while whistling his "I'm a Tensai" tune. He turned at a corner and walked straight ahead, his mind still set on the date he made with Haruko the next day. He smiled to himself. He would bring her to that carnival that has just opened around the corner. The people who already went there said that it was one of the most beautiful places they have ever seen. Hanamichi smiled as he imagined Haruko's face. _Haruko-chan..._ All of a sudden, the face of Haruko changed into Rukawa's, sending Hanamichi to stop right in the middle of his tracks. He blinked, and immediately, the image disappeared. 

He stared off into space for a while. "What the..." He was shocked, not that Rukawa's face overlapped Haruko's but the expression Rukawa had. It was...strange. Hanamichi has always seen the kitsune either grinning, smiling, or simply amused, but the expression he had now was...sadness. 

Hanamichi blinked again. That was a weird image. He has never seen the kitsune make that sort of look, and yet, he has seen it. It was a bothering thought. 

"Oi, Hanamichi." 

Hanamichi snapped out of his thoughts and turned around to see Mitsui walking towards him, his bag over his shoulder. Hanamichi offered a small smile. "Hi, Mitsui." 

Mitsui smiled back at the redhead, then, he noticed the second bag in Hanamichi's other hand. He raised an eyebrow. "Hey, why do you have two bags. And have you seen Kaede anywhere?" 

Hanamichi jumped at the name, but he forced himself to get over it. He gave a strained smile. "I-Iie. He didn't come back to class after lunch. The nurse came to sensei and told him that Rukawa was feeling ill, so...when he didn't come back at all, I took his bag with me..." 

"Sou...ka." Mitsui nodded at that, and gave Hanamichi a soft smile. "So, shall we head back home." 

Hanamichi turned around, his cheerful face back. "Hai." 

The walk home was genuinely silent and comfortable. Hanamichi breathed in the clean air and looked up. The clouds were partly covering the moon, giving it a beautiful look. The only sound around them was the crunching of their shoes against the dead leaves that have fallen from the trees around them. Hanamichi walked on with his eyes concentrated on the sky, when he asked out of the blue, "How are you?" 

"Hmmm?" Mitsui seemed surprise by that question. "What do you mean?" 

Hanamichi shifted his attention from the moon to Mitsui's face. "I mean, how are you and Megane-kun?" 

Mitsui seemed to pause in his stride when the word 'Megane-kun' came out of Hanamichi mouth. He forced himself to continue walking with Hanamichi, his eyes downcast. "Not too good." He replied honestly. "I thought I had it bad when I fell for him, thinking that he was a MORTAL, but when he turned out to be an ANGEL..." He sighed and bowed his head. "I don't know what to do anymore." 

Hanamichi straightened himself up. "Don't you like him?" 

Mitsui gave a small laugh. "Of course I like him. Hell, I think I may have fallen for him." He looked up at Hanamichi and smiled. "You know, one time, he accidentally bumped someone in the corridor, and that someone started bullying him. I was there with him, and before I knew it, I was beating the bastard down to the floor. I only came to my senses when Kogure touched my shoulder and whispered, 'Enough'. I think that was when I fell for him. His innocent and demure nature mixed with the evil and darkness of this world makes him draw people in. There were many other things that made me fall for him more and more, but the way he always seemed to care endlessly was the one that really made me love him for who he was..." 

Hanamichi contemplated what Mitsui just said, then asked quietly, "And now? What do you think of him?" 

Mitsui's eyes widened at that, but he bowed his head low so that his hair would cover his face. "I can't do anything. Whenever I see him, I want to smile and talk with him, pat him o the back, the things I usually did before I found out. But that's the difference." He looked up at Hanamichi and said in an anguished voice, "I now KNOW. I know he's an angel, and that makes the situation worse. Kaede may have fallen for you, but I have fallen for an angel, and that's-" 

"Please," Hanamichi interrupted silently as he looked away. "Please don't say his name and that lie." 

Mitsui sighed. "It isn't a lie, Hanamichi. He _really_ loves you. You're the only person that Kaede has said that to. He isn't an emotional person, believe me. I've known him for DECADES, but when he says something that serious, he means it." 

Hanamichi shook his head and smiled thoughtfully. "Forget it then. Okay, fine, he loves me," He looked at Mitsui in the eye. "But I don't. I love Haruko, remember? That was the very reason why I got that book and called Rukawa out. To get HER." 

Mitsui looked down, a hopeless look on his face. "Do you really believe that?" 

"What?" 

"Do you really believe that you LOVE that girl?" Mitsui asked monotonously. Hanamichi opened his mouth to answer that question, but Mitsui interrupted him. "Before you answer, you have to think about it. Do you really love her? What do you know about her? What does she know about you? What do you like about her?" He looked up from the ground, and saw that they were already in front of Hanamichi's house. "I don't need to hear your answer now. You can tell me 3 days later, when you find out yourself." 

Hanamichi was silent for a while, taken back by what Mitsui had just said. _Do I love her? What do I like about her?_ He looked up at Mitsui, who had already opened the gate to his house. He sighed and stepped forward. _I do love her...don't I?..._

Mitsui was about to reach for the handle of the door when it suddenly turned by itself. They both watched as the door opened, and there, in front of them, stood Kaede, wearing normal human clothes, and had a smile plastered on his face. "Okaeri!" He greeted cheerfully. 

Mitsui gaped then nodded back slowly. "Tadaima..." 

Rukawa smiled at him, then turned his attention towards Hanamichi. He gave Hanamichi a warm smile. "Okaeri, Hanamichi." 

Hanamichi managed to swallow the lump in his throat as he croaked out, "...Un..." 

Rukawa smiled at him, then turned towards Mitsui again. "Hey, I've got news for you guys! And it's pretty good." 

Mitsui got over his surprised expression and walked into the lounging room, followed by Rukawa. Hanamichi stood by the door for a while before following them. Mitsui sat down on one of the couches and gave his cousin a weird look. "You sure are looking excited. So, what's the news?" 

Rukawa turned to look at Hanamichi. "Hanamichi-kun, please, have a seat." 

Hanamichi blinked at the name Rukawa called him, and sat down on the chair, his eyes trained on the smiling kitsune. _What's going on?_

Rukawa nodded when he saw that everyone had taken their seat. He walked to the middle of the room and announced, "Well, my father seems to have changed the schedule of 2 things. One, is the day of my marriage, and two, is the battle with Death." He continued smiling, despite the tension that had suddenly radiated from the two other occupants. "Anyway, my father changed the marriage date to TOMORROW, so I won't be here the whole day. Then, I will come back to fight Death with Kogure, as I promised." When nobody spoke, Rukawa raised his arms up. "What? Don't you think it's good news?" 

Mitsui stood up from the couch and regarded his cousin with shocked eyes. "Kaede..." He shook his head and licked his dry lips as he gasped out, "Why would you think that THIS would be good news?!" 

Rukawa shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? That way, I'll be out of Hanamichi's life FOREVER." He turned to face the redhead and sneered. "Isn't this what you wanted, Hanamichi-kun?" 

Hanamichi couldn't answer. He had gone a shade paler at Rukawa's announcement, and now, he could hardly breathe at the cold look those eyes gave him. He covered his mouth with his hands as one thought crossed his mind: 

_Rukawa...doshite...?_

**TBC**

Camry: *Blinks* Ano...was it too dramatic? Boring? Dragging?...Honto ni gomen!!! ^_^ But that aside, as you might have noticed, I didn't give that much to Mitsui and Kogure's relationship, but I promise, I'll try my best. *Wipes sweat away* It ain't easy to bring 3 couples together in one fanfic, you know! Well, for me, that is. Oh well...anyway, REVIEW please! ARIGATOU! ^_^ 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Thirteen**

Kogure sighed heavily as he leaned back on his chair and stared at the moon shining in front of him, a confused yet thoughtful expression on his face. He was trying to study for the big test tomorrow that would test how well he had paid attention in class, but somehow, all the symbols and algebraic expressions started turning into the face of a certain demon with midnight blue hair. He sighed again and stood up, pushing his books and notebooks away as he made his way towards his bed and plopped down on it. 

He grabbed his pillow and buried his nose in it as he contemplated the issue at hand. When he had first met Mitsui, he had already known that he was a demon. It was pretty easy for angels to distinguish humans, angels and demon from each other. The aura they emitted could be seen quite easily by angels, which was why most demons that came to earth were easily destroyed. But Kogure had no intention of destroying Mitsui and his cousin. He wanted to _know_ them. 

Kogure leaned back against his other pillow and smiled softly. He had known that Mitsui sort of liked him, but he had never imagined it to go to the level of _loving_ him. He was quite shocked and amused at the same time when he had heard the demons thoughts as he stood there by the clinic entrance. It was strange...many angels and humans have said that demons were heartless and cold, unfeeling and diabolic. But Mitsui wasn't like. Kogure would have guessed that not all demons were like that, including that boy named Rukawa. It was mind boggling. One minute, he had his own point of view on what demons were, and the next, it was completely different. 

And the worst part was... 

Kogure turned over his bed, his face suddenly red. Angels were not restricted from loving and caring for anyone, that would include demons too, he guessed, but...His face reddened. He had wanted to _submit_ to all those sexual thoughts Mitsui had on his mind when he didn't think Kogure was an angel. Kogure always blushed when he was with the demon. They were talking about one thing for a minute, then, Mitsui has a picture of him and Kogure lying naked on the bed, doing... 

Kogure shook his head to clear that image, and hid his face under his pillow. Was it a sin? Was it a sin to want to do that? He had thought so at first, so whenever Mitsui's mind would come up with those images as he gave Kogure signals of liking him, Kogure would simply treat it like some sort of joke between friends. Mitsui would look discouraged at that, but he would never stop trying. 

The cool air entered the open window and touched Kogure's heated cheeks. He opened his eyes at that contact, then, bit hi lip. Mitsui had chased him like crazy when he thought that Kogure was a mortal, but when he found out, he had stopped. Kogure was slightly pained by Mitsui's actions. Whenever Kogure would try to approach him, he would turn around and walk away. Whenever Kogure would try to talk to him, he wouldn't answer. Whenever Kogure called out to him, he wouldn't mind him. Kogure knew that it was for their own good. After all, a demon and an angel could never be together, but on that day when Mitsui thought to himself about loving an angel, Kogure felt a spark of hope. 

Demons were like them, but not like them. They had feelings, but they usually channel it towards the opposite direction. That was why most of them were misunderstood. Kogure had fallen for Mitsui right then and there. That was why he couldn't help approaching the dark haired boy after his thought by the clinic and said what he had said. He was too happy to care. Mitsui loved him, and Kogure loved him. Some people said it was impossible to love a person in only a few days, but Kogure had done the impossible. It all seemed like some crazy plot, but Kogure liked the way it was going. 

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. He lifted his head up as he hears his mother's voice on the opposite end. "Kiminobu, you have a guest." 

Kogure looked at the clock and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. _That's odd...who would visit me at 9:30 at night?_ Nevertheless, he shrugged and answered respectfully, "Please tell him to come up to my room. I'll fix a few things." 

"Okay." 

Kogure stood up and started tidying his room up a little. He was known as a clean freak most of the time, but if ever there was a test the next day and Kogure had something else in mind, the room tended to get a little dirty. Kogure picked up the other notes that were scattered on the floor when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in." 

The door didn't open at all. Kogure blinked from his position on the ground and lifted his head. His eyes widened considerably larger than it's usual size as the notes he held in his hands dropped to the ground. "Mi-Mitsui!" 

Mitsui looked at the mess Kogure had just made combined with all the other things around the room. He arched an eyebrow. "I thought that you're the neatest guy in the world." 

Kogure looked around his place and blushed in embarrassment, laughing nervously as he did so. "Yeah well, I'm usually like this when the tests are coming." He cleared his head and gave Mitsui a curious look. "That aside, what are _you_ doing here? Shouldn't you be studying too?" 

Mitsui's smile suddenly faded when Kogure said that. He looked around the room and murmured, "Believe me, I tried to study, but it wasn't possible, not with the situation we have in our hands now." 

Kogure stood up from his position and went towards Mitsui. He motioned for Mitsui to sit down on the bed as he sat on his chair. "What do you mean?" 

Mitsui lifted his head and eyed Kogure seriously. "Kaede's marriage is tomorrow." When Kogure opened his mouth to say something, Mitsui continued. "And your battle with Death is on the next day." 

Kogure open and closed his mouth at that, then, he managed to gasp out, "Why?" 

"I don't know." Mitsui clenched his hands into fists. "Kaede didn't explain it either. When Hanamichi and I arrived home, he was there, greeting us cheerfully. I was happy for him, thinking that everything would be okay, but..." He bit his lip in annoyance, drawing blood from the wound he had inflicted on himself. Kogure gasped as he watched the blood run down the cut lip to the dark haired boy's chin as he continued talking. "He told us that announcement a smile on his face. Hanamichi and I were quite shocked, and when I asked Kaede why he would think that that was good news, he replied that Hanamichi wanted this." Mitsui cursed under his breath. "I had always thought of Kaede as someone respectable, but after what he did-" 

Mitsui was cut off. Kogure had leaned in closer and had kissed him on the chin, where the blood and fallen to. Mitsui sat there as stiff as a board as Kogure licked the blood away. When the spectacled finally reached the source of the wound and gave it a kiss, Mitsui felt that he was going to die. Kogure ended the kiss and backed away, his hand on the side of Mitsui's head. "Don't inflict pain on yourself." 

Mitsui stared at Kogure in stunned silence. 

Kogure leaned in again and gave Mitsui a chaste kiss. "Have faith. Just have faith." And with that, Kogure kissed Mitsui fully on the lips. 

Mitsui remained still in Kogure's arms, but after a while, he relaxed and reached out hesitantly. He held Kogure's arms and pulled the spectacled boy on the bed. Kogure gave a surprised yelp as Mitsui pinned him underneath his own body, but that yelp was silenced when Mitsui gave him a soul-searing kiss. Kogure sighed and arched against Mitsui's body. _Kami-sama...please forgive me...demo..._ He snaked his arms around Mitsui's neck and held their lips together. _I love..._ "Hisashi!" He gasped out. 

Mitsui kissed Kogure heatedly. _I will have faith..._ "Kiminobu..." He murmured gently against the other boy's lips. _Because I love you..._

"I love you..." 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi lay down on his bed as he watched the moon from his window. He stayed still not wanting to move, not wanting to speak, not wanting to do anything. All he could do was replay the whole scene over and over again in his mind. He felt a lone tear make its way down the side of his cheek again, and he hastily rubbed it away, cursing himself for his being too emotional. But even though he tried to harden himself, another tear rolled down as he heard Rukawa's cold, unfeeling voice in his head. 

_"My father changed the marriage date to TOMORROW, so I won't be here the whole day."_

_"Isn't it obvious? That way, I'll be out of Hanamichi's life FOREVER."_

_"Isn't this what you wanted, Hanamichi-kun?"_

Another tear fell from his eye, and before Hanamichi could stop it, an anguished sob escaped his lips. His body shook as his tears and cries started flowing out continuously. He buried his face in his pillow to quiet himself, but the tears wouldn't stop. He expected to be hurt by Rukawa's announcement, but he didn't expect to be hurt _this_ much. 

He rolled over to his stomach and cried, wanting this nightmare to come to an end. 

"Doshite?...Rukawa..." He whispered brokenly. "Doshite?..." 

* * * * * * 

Rukawa leaned against the wall beside Hanamichi's room, his own tears cascading down his face as he listened to both Hanamichi's cries and thoughts. He wanted to enter the room and hold the redhead badly. He wanted to comfort him, touch him, kiss him, protect him from everything, but, he couldn't. He had done this to ensure the happiness of Hanamichi. He wanted his redhead to be happy, and the only way for him to be happy was...to get his wish. 

Rukawa gave a soft cry and walked away from Hanamichi's room. _I'm so sorry...I love you..._ He thought over and over again in his head. Tomorrow, he was going to lose his freedom. He was going to marry someone he didn't even love, and he was going to live a boring life in hell. No Hanamichi, no life, no love... 

With that, one final tear made its way down his left cheek as he walked down the corridor towards his room, walking out of Hanamichi's life forever. He was going to make Hanamichi happy, even if it meant hurting him for the moment. 

"Sayonara...Hana..." 

* * * * * * 

Death cackled evilly as he watched Rukawa walk away from the redhead's room and into his own room. The aura was still gone, but nevertheless, it would return. He turned to Satan and gave an amused smile. "Mission complete, you great." 

Satan smiled at that and rubbed his head exasperatedly. "I have to go now." 

Death blinked, not understanding. "You great, what do you mean by that?" 

Satan turned and regarded the cloaked figure with an air of indifference. "The Underworld Association will be having their annual meeting in Denver tomorrow. I was suppose to leave today, but because I had to make sure that things would run smoothly as planned, I stayed. Now that Rukawa has broken the heart of that mortal, I don't have any worries. I'll come back on Monday." 

"You'll...not be here tomorrow?" Death repeated uncertainly. 

Satan turned and went towards his room. "When my son chooses his bride tomorrow, do not stop him. I want him to be married and bonded so that there will be no more trouble, understood? I trust you'll fulfill your duty in my place." 

Death nodded eagerly. "Yes, your great. I will carry out your plan perfectly." 

Satan entered his chamber and grinned to himself. He made his way towards his orb and watched as the image of his son came out. Rukawa was lying on the bed, tears still streaming down his face, but Satan could see that little by little, his heart was hardening. Satan nodded, satisfied with the results. He didn't need a stupid son who was emotional and who would fall for a stupid mortal. He touched the orb and murmured evilly, "Sleep well, my son, for you will have a very long day tomorrow..." 

With that, Satan opened a vortex in front of him, and made his way to Denver. 

When he was gone, Koshino and Sendoh popped out of the closet where they were hiding. Koshino fell to the ground, his knees still shaky from the fact that they had snuck inside Satan's room. "Ah...We could have been KILLED if he found us, Akira!" 

Sendoh smiled, a plan already formulating itself in his brain. "But we didn't, so relax. Besides, I think I may know how to solve my cousin's dilemma." 

Koshino shook his head and muttered, "What?" 

"You'll see." With that, Sendoh happily grabbed Koshino around the waist and made a vortex towards Earth. He smiled happily. It might work. His plan just might work. It was a long shot, but hey, what did they have to lose? Sendoh thought that over and smiled. 

A lot, but at the same time, nothing. 

**TBC**

Camry: Ah! My back! *snap!* ACK! It snapped! AHHH!!!!! *Rubs back* Man, sitting in front of the computer for an hour and a half straight is so tiresome. Agh...anyway, how was it? ^_^ REVIEW please! Thanks! 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Fourteen**

Hanamichi woke up the next morning feeling like he has cried an entire ocean and at the same time, got hit by a train. He lifted his blotched up face from his pillow and saw the sunlight making it's way in from his window. He stared at it for a while, then sighed. _What the hell am I doing?..._ He checked his clock on the wall and stood up instantly. "The date!" 

He had agreed to pick Haruko up at her house at 11:30 am, then, they would take the train to the carnival. It was 10:50, at the moment. 

"Kuso!" He ran around his room, finding neat clothes that he could wear, place them on the bed, and entered the bathroom, feeling the need to wash up. When he took off all his clothes, he looked at himself in the mirror and was shocked at the face that stared back. True, he never really did pay attention to how he looked, but he never realized that he could look _this_ bad. He couldn't really describe how he looked like, but in simple terms, he looked like he had seen a ghost and saw his entire family die in front of him at the same time. 

He opened the faucet of the sink and washed his face, feeling the worn out edges of his eyes run along the tips of his fingers. He blinked. Guess he must have cried an awful lot yesterday night. Pushing that idea aside, he stepped into the shower stall and turned the faucet on. The water came to him at full blast, and he tipped his head back, relaxing himself. He lazily grabbed the shampoo bottle and lathered it on his hair. 

After a while of rubbing his head, he saw the image of Rukawa come into his mind. He snapped out of his reverie, and cursed himself, feeling a tear make its way down the side of his cheek. Luckily, the water washed that away, since he was suddenly too weak to wipe it away himself. He bit his lip when the image stayed on his mind instead of disappearing as he willed it to. 

He place both hands on the tiles of the bathroom wall in front of him and bent his head, letting the water wash the soap suds away from his hair. _Stop thinking about him, okay? It's over! Besides, like you said, you weren't really in love with him, so what's you problem?_

Honestly, he didn't know himself. 

He turned off the faucet when he was sure all the soapsuds were off, and his entire body was clean. He got his towel from the side, wiped his hair, and drew the shower curtains away. 

"Hana..." 

"Eh?" Hanamichi lifted his head immediately at that voice, and his eyes widened when he saw Rukawa standing in front of him. He was standing there by the door in his demon attire. His hair was long again, the wings were back, and even the same leather clothes were on him. Hanamichi stared dumbstruck at the raven haired boy for a while, not knowing what to do, or how to react. Finally, when he saw Rukawa blush and turn his head away, Hanamichi looked down and gasped. Damn! He forgot he was naked! He swiftly place the towel around his hips and gasped out, "Ano...chotto matte-" 

"Iie." Rukawa whispered in reply as he opened the bathroom door. "I...I'll wait for you to finish changing outside." With that, he was gone. Hanamichi was about to open his mouth to say something, but Rukawa obviously heard it in his mind as the door opened again and Hanamichi's clothes floated in. 

Hanamichi took the clothes in his arms and watched as the door close once again. He leaned against the tiles of the wall, feeling weak in the knees after seeing Rukawa. He grasped his clothes tightly against his chest as tears threatened to fall again. He shook his head to stop the flow of tears, and exhaled. _Look, you have a date in 20 minutes, plus, he obviously needs to tell you something, so hurry up and change!_

Hanamichi exhaled again, feeling totally drained both physically and emotionally, and proceeded to change. 

When he was done, he took one deep breath to calm his nerves, and opened the bathroom door. He steeped out just as Rukawa turned his gaze away from the window to look at Hanamichi. He smiled genuinely. "You look nice." 

Hanamichi was wearing a red, polo shirt that clung on to every curve of his body, but it was loose at the same time. The shirt was loosely tucked into fitted black jeans that gave everyone a view of how long and lean his legs were. Finally, he wore his basketball shoes, the one with the colors red, black, and white, making him look like the perfect model. Hanamichi blushed at Rukawa's comment and mumbled, "Thanks." 

Rukawa smiled at Hanamichi's reaction, and slowly said, "So...you're going out on a date with Haruko, ka?" 

"A...Aa." Hanamichi looked up cautiously. "We're going to that carnival that has just opened." 

"Sou...ka." Rukawa shifted his weight from one foot to the other, obviously making an effort to keep the mood light. "So...are you happy?" 

"Huh?" 

Rukawa looked into Hanamichi's eyes and asked again. "Are you happy?" 

Hanamichi remained silent for a while, not knowing how to answer that question. Was he happy? He got his wish, didn't he? He got the girl of his dreams to like him. He shrugged as he replied, "Yeah...I guess." 

Rukawa nodded. "Good." Then, he looked out towards the sun and murmured, "Did you know that you were the only mortal I have ever cared for?" Hanamichi turned to look at him with a shocked face, making the raven haired boy chuckle. "No, don't get all worried. I'm not going to make you change your mind anymore about how you think of me and other issues. I just want to point it out." When Hanamichi relaxed slightly, Rukawa continued. "Anyway, you are the only mortal that I have cared for enough to make your wish come true and be happy. And I am happy for you. Really, I am. You have gotten your wish, and the answer that you have given me is all I needed to hear before I leave for the Underworld." 

"Rukawa..." Hanamichi whispered. 

Rukawa smiled, then sighed. "Well then," He boxed Hanamichi's arm playfully. "Have fun with Haruko." 

Hanamichi stared at Rukawa in shock for a while, but when he noticed the strained look on the other man's face, he gave a warm smile and hugged the dark haired boy to him. Rukawa stiffened at the contact, but Hanamichi held on as he whispered, "Thank you." 

Rukawa paused at that small whisper, then, he too hugged Hanamichi to him. "You're welcome." Then, right in front Hanamichi's eyes, he vanished into thin air, leaving Hanamichi all alone in the room, holding thin air. 

Hanamichi place his arms down and looked at the sun. "Thank you for everything." Then, he looked at the clock. 11:25. He gave one last look at the area where Rukawa stood, then grabbed his black jacket as he turned, reminding himself to get to Haruko's house in 5 minutes. But even though he ran down the street, his mind couldn't forget the image of Rukawa's smile. 

* * * * * * 

Mitsui and Kogure lay naked together on top of the bed, both their bodies' intertwined with each other under the comforter. Mitsui snuggled closer to Kogure and gave his lover a kiss on the forehead. "Wake up, Min-kun..." 

Kogure grumbled in his sleep and buried his face into Mitsui's chest even more. "Too early..." 

"Actually, it's 11:40 right now, so, if you don't want your mom to walk in and find us...hey, wait a second." Mitsui ruffled Kogure's hair to get the brown haired boys attention. "How is it that you have a mother, by the way?" 

Kogure snorted as he yawned and rubbed his eyes, seeing that he wasn't going to get any sleep. Honestly, they had done it-Kogure blushed-around 3 times last night until early morning, and Mitsui was still jumpy and perky. He sat up and rubbed his head as he answered groggily. "She's not exactly my mom. Her memory was altered so that I could live among humans with a normal family and life. But nevertheless, I love her as if she was my own." 

"Hmmm..." Mitsui half listened to his lover as he ran his nail up and down Kogure's back soothingly. "Ne, can we do it again?" 

Kogure turned around to gape at Mitsui. "What?! You mean you still-" 

"Hey, I can't help it!" Mitsui said defensively. 

Kogure shook his head in disbelief. "Unbelievable...you still aren't tired?" Kogure licked his lips to moisten them. "You do know that I have submitted to every one of your-" Kogure blushed again. "-sexual fantasies in just one night! Don't you think we should have a break?" 

"Awww, come on, Min-kun..." Mitsui urged as he too sat up and started nibbling on Kogure's neck, making the other man arch back involuntarily. "I know you want more..." 

Kogure blushed as he turned to look at Mitsui. "You really are insatiable." 

"Only when it comes to you." Mitsui proceeded to kiss Kogure senseless as his hands roamed every part of Kogure's lean body, making the brown haired boy moan and gasp occasionally. Mitsui smiled against his lovers' lips. Kogure was everything he wanted in a lover; He responds to every kiss, every touch, every ministration. He had a passion that was equal with Mitsui, and, he was beautiful, inside and out. Mitsui felt like he was the luckiest demon in the universe. He pushed Kogure down and his lips were making its way towards the other boys abdomen when a very familiar voice broke through his fun. 

"Hey there, bro." 

Kogure gasped at the interruption and tried to get away from Mitsui, but instead of obliging, Mitsui sighed and place his head in Kogure's stomach as he turned his face towards the source of the sound. "Akira, can't you see that I'm busy?" 

Sendoh smiled evilly as he waved at a very embarrassed Kogure. "Hey there, nice to meet you. You must be Kiminobu Kogure, correct? I'm Akira Sendoh, the stepbrother of you lover over there. Oh, and this is my lover, Hiroaki Koshino." Sendoh gestured to the silent boy beside him who had his eyes averted to the wall, giving the 2 men on the bed a little respect. 

Kogure swallowed the lump around his throat and nodded back. "Yes, quite-ummm..." He pulled the comforter higher so that it would cover the parts that were not meant to be seen by others, and gave Mitsui a long-suffering look. 

Mitsui smiled warmly at his lover and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, love..." He sighed again and extracted himself from his warm lover and gave Sendoh a glare. "What do you want?" 

"It seems that you aren't helping Hanamichi and Kaede get together, now are you?" 

Mitsui rubbed his head in annoyance. "Look, if you have any idea on how to bring those two together despite the things that have happened, let me hear it, coz believe me, I can't think of anything." 

Sendoh smiled at his brother's disgruntled look and said, "Well, what if I told you that this plan of mine would have a fifty-fifty percent of working out and not? Also, it's a long shot, and I need your help." 

Mitsui's eyes shifted its attention from the ground to his brother, who looked like he was ready to burst with excitement. Mitsui blinked. He hasn't seen his brother have that look on his face ever since they were kids and Sendoh planned that they bake a cake for Satan with a bomb inside. The plan worked, and Sendoh was so happy because half the entire place was filled with chunks of cake. Now, he had that look again, and Mitsui was slowly getting curious himself. He leaned close to Kogure and draped his arm around his lover. "So, what's the plan?" 

Sendoh smiled diabolically and leaned in. "Well, this is how it goes..." 

**TBC**

Camry: Nyahahahahahahahaha! I finished the chapter...ah...FINALLY! My head was about to explode of just thinking what would happen next! ^_^ Well, that's all for now! ^_^ How was it, by the way? REVIEW please! ^_^ Oh, and arigatou for all your support! DAISUKI! 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Fifteen**

Rukawa sighed heavily as he walked towards the main palace of the Underworld. The road towards the dark palace was brightly lit by torches of fire, but Rukawa could sense what lay beyond the road he was walking on. It wasn't anything new, but Rukawa found it overly disgusting and pathetic. The lowest class of demons that have been cast out from every area in the Underworld and that didn't have any place to go would reside in the darkness of the valley beside the houses and roads. These demons would never attack a demon who had a strong aura, but when they sense that there is someone with a not-too-strong battle aura, he or she would be labeled as either their breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

At the moment, there were around 50 of them following Rukawa in what looked like a swarm of bees. Rukawa just wanted to burst out and kill every single one of them for 2 reasons. One was because he found it very annoying that their eyes were trained on him and only him when they knew that they very well couldn't eat him. The other reason was because he was in a fairly bad mood. 

He had just heard that over a million demons were invited to his marriage ceremony, and if his guess what right, Eri Fujisawa was going to come. 

He already felt a migraine coming just remembering her face. Ever since he turned 11, that girl has been sticking to him like glue, saying that they were meant to be together, that he belonged to her, stuff like that. Frankly, she was a pest. Rukawa never liked her, and never will, but she has this strange talent for making other people believe that she and Rukawa looked like the perfect couple. Rukawa knew the real reason why she went after him, though. She wanted great power and to be praised highly, and the only way she can get that was to get the most powerful demon to marry her. 

And that meant Kaede Rukawa. 

Rukawa sighed again as he finally reached the main gate of the palace. The demon who was in charge of security gave one look at Rukawa before bowing down, his entire body shaking half in fear, and half in recognition of who he was facing. "You-your great!" Then, he turned around to face his comrades and stuttered, "O-open the gates! Master Kaede is back!" 

The other demons all scattered at that name and started to open the gate. The others handed Rukawa his black stallion as the drawbridge was also lowered. The palace was one of the greatest palaces in the Underworld. It had around 3 gates that needed to be opened and 2 drawbridges that were around 70 feet in length. This palace was dubbed the best in the entire Underworld. 

Rukawa nodded at the captain of the guards and mounted his horse. "Thanks." 

The guard seemed quite shocked at what the young prince had just said. Cautiously, he bowed his head down again. 

Rukawa dug the heels of his boots into the sides of his mare and rode off, leaving the very stunned captain gaping at him like a gold fish. Rukawa grinned as he passed the first bridge, the wind blowing in his face. He never bothered to say anything to any of the lower classed demons such as the guards and servants, so he guessed his little 'thanks' shocked them to the core. He laughed out loud as his horse rode on towards the second bridge. 

Just as he was about to pass the bridge, another black stallion appeared beside his, and Rukawa turned his head to see who it was. 

Sendoh waved at him cheerfully. "Hi!" 

Rukawa snorted at his cousin and grinned at him. "Wanna race?" 

"Nah, don't think so. You always win, anyway." Sendoh replied grumpily, making Rukawa grin more. Sendoh chuckled and looked forward just as they exited the drawbridge and entered the main gate, sending dirt spraying in the air as they reeled their horses back at the same time. 

Servants came forward to retrieve their horses, and as Rukawa got off his horse, he gave a charming smile at the young boy who held his horse. "Arigatou." As expected, the young servant boy's eyes widened as he stuttered madly. Rukawa grinned and walked towards the palace with Sendoh beside him. 

Sendoh gave Rukawa a weird smile. "What the hell was that?" 

"Hmmm?" Rukawa replied innocently. 

Sendoh laughed and slapped his cousin on the back. "Don't give me that. Why the hell did you say 'thanks' to him?" 

Rukawa laughed back as they walked up the stairs towards the door. "Just wanted to." 

"Hmmm...I bet." 

Rukawa smiled at Sendoh's evil look and pushed the doors open with one hand. He watched as everyone around the great hall stopped with their preparations for the marriage ceremony and looked up to see who was entering. When Rukawa stepped forward into the light, many of them gasped in shock and dropped the materials they were carrying. The name 'Master Kaede' spread out through the entire area like some kind of disease. 

Sendoh sighed and patted his cousin on the back. "Not fair. How come this is the reaction you get every time you enter, and when it's me, nothing." 

Rukawa smiled and walked towards his room on the left end of the palace. He waved his hand towards the demons around the hall before he pushed his door open, and as expected, they all went back to their duties. Rukawa entered his room and took his cape off, dropping it next to his chair as he walked by, and jumped on his bed. 

Sendoh gave Rukawa a soft smile as he sat on the chair Rukawa had just passed. "Tense about the ceremony?" 

"Tense?" Rukawa chuckled as he said that and rolled over, his eyes fixed on the fire by the fireplace. "How could I be tense? I have no room for that at the moment." 

"Then what's eating you?" 

Rukawa turned around to face Sendoh, and sighed. Sendoh and Mitsui were the closest demons to him. They could very well be his own brothers, and both of them could read him like a book. Sendoh was the best at doing that, though. Mitsui tended to observe the entire person, while Sendoh only observed the eyes, and at the moment, Rukawa's eyes showed a lot. He moved to sit up on his bed and stared at the fireplace, a thoughtful look on his chiseled face. "Have you ever had a mortal say 'thank you' to you, Akira?" 

Sendoh blinked at what Rukawa just called him, but he smiled in return. Rukawa wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk whenever he used Sendoh's first name, and Sendoh was willing to listen. "No, why?" 

Rukawa smiled that soft smile again as he moved his head to one side, remembering Hanamichi's face as he watched the fire dance around the wood in the fireplace. "Hana thanked me. Despite all that I've done to him, and all that is about to happen, he still thanked me." 

Sendoh smiled. "He did?" 

"Yeah..." Rukawa sighed and rested his head against his pillow, tilting his head back in the process. "And he hugged me. Do you know how nice it feels for a person you love to hug you, Akira?" 

Sendoh thought about a certain brown eyed demon with quite a spirit as he leaned back against the chair. "Yeah, I do." 

Rukawa smiled as he closed his eyes. "It feels great, doesn't it?" He rested his arms over his head as he murmured, "That's how Hana makes me feel." 

Sendoh watched his cousin carefully. "Do you...regret anything that you have done to him?" 

Rukawa was silent for a while as he thought about it. His intention from the very beginning was to see that Hanamichi would get his wish, and he did, and as Hanamichi told him, he was happy, but there was pain lurking behind the redhead's eyes. Rukawa opened his eyes and gave Sendoh a defeated look. "Yes." 

Sendoh smiled at that answer and stood up from the chair. "That's all I needed to know." He walked towards the door just as a servant was about to knock. Sendoh smiled at the surprised demon and waved his good bye to Rukawa. "See ya later, Kaede. Get some sleep. You look like you need it." With that, he walked out of the room. 

Rukawa leaned back even deeper on his pillow as he thought over what he had just said. _I...regret many things...Hana..._ He saw the servant lay out his attire for the ceremony by the wall, and felt his insides jump. When the servant bowed to him and left the room, Rukawa stood up from the bed and moved towards his outfit. He stood in front of it and clenched his fists even tighter. 

_But there's nothing I can do now to make it up to you..._

* * * * * * 

Sendoh transported himself into the room of Kogure and looked at all the occupants with a wide grin. "Mission start." 

Mitsui grinned back at his brother and hugged Kogure to him. "So, what do you wanna do? Go to school on a Sunday to take some test, or help me carry out my brother's plan?" 

Kogure sighed. "Do I have a choice?" 

Mitsui smiled back at his angel and nodded at Sendoh. "Ja ne." 

Sendoh nodded back and watched as Kogure and Mitsui disappeared in front of him. He turned to catch his lover's hand and gave it a small kiss. "Ready?" 

Koshino swallowed nervously, but nevertheless, he nodded. "Yes." 

Sendoh gave Koshino a long, passionate kiss, and whispered endearingly in his ear, "I love you." Koshino nodded back at the blue eyed demon. Sendoh looked at the clock. 5:50 pm. It was time. He opened a vortex in front of him, held Koshino's hand in his, and stepped in. 

* * * * * * 

"Ah! Mite, mite, Hanamichi-kun!" Haruko shouted excitedly as she leaned over to one side of the Ferris wheel cart, eyeing the moon that stared back at her in the face. She laughed happily, seeing that the first star had just appeared, and started reciting that 'Star Light, Star Bright' song. 

Hanamichi stared at her with a small smile on his lips. The day had gone by surprisingly fast. He got to Haruko's house right on time, brought her to the carnival, and before they ate their lunch, they decided to ride the roller coaster that had 5 loops in it so that they won't...you know. After that and their lunch, they road bumper cars, played in the arcade, and Hanamichi played basketball against some members from the park. Of course, he won, and as a prize, they gave him a HUGE teddy bear, which, in turn, he gave to Haruko. After that, Hanamichi distinctly remembered entering the House of Mirrors, the Haunted House, where he ended up scaring more of the people acting as monsters away than them scaring him, and finally, they rode the Ferris Wheel. 

Hanamichi leaned his head against the side of the cart and eyed Haruko. He didn't know why, but, he didn't feel anything exciting with her. When he fetched her from her house, it was like a friend picking up another friend. When they entered rode the rides and entered all those other places, it was all done in a friendly manner. Well, for Hanamichi's part, that is. 

Haruko was trying her best to make Hanamichi notice her more. She would _accidentally_ bump or fall against him, hold on to him when they were in the Haunted House, hug him whenever he won a game or a prize, all the things a couple would do, but, no matter how much Hanamichi tried... 

...He thought of her as his little sister. Someone special and someone he cared for, but not someone he loved. 

Hanamichi sighed and closed his eyes. The situation he was in was really contradicting. One minute, he says to himself that he loves her, the next, he doesn't. What was it that he really felt? What did he think of her? What- 

"Hanamichi-kun?..." 

Hanamichi snapped out of his personal thoughts and looked at Haruko with a warm smile, "Hai?" 

Haruko blushed as she moved closer to him. "A...ano...I was just wondering..." She breathed in deeply. "I...I think I love...you, and..." She gave him a shy smile as she continued. "I was wondering...Is it okay if...I kiss you?" 

Hanamichi was taken back with that request. He blinked hard, trying to see if this was just part of his imagination. When that didn't satisfy his curiosity, he pinched himself in the back. _Oww!_ His eyes widened at the meaning of that. This wasn't a dream. Haruko asked if she could KISS him. 

Strangely enough, he didn't feel his heart race like what most authors in books wrote whenever a situation like that arose. Instead, he felt detached. 

_What the hell is wrong with you, Hanamichi?! Isn't THIS what you wanted?!_

Hanamichi looked up from the ground slowly and nodded, both to Haruko and to his conscience. Sou ka na...this was what he wanted. He gave Haruko a smile and nodded again. Haruko smiled happily at Hanamichi's reply and slowly leaned forward, closing her eyes in the process. Hanamichi watched her do that and closed his own eyes, waiting for Haruko's lips to touch his. 

_This is what I want...right?_

**TBC**

Camry: WAI!!!!!!! Iie!!!!! Yamatte!!!! *cough* Uhum! Well, that aside, how was the chapter? Anyway, hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! I know I am...hehe! Anyway, REVIEW please! ^_^ Thank you! 


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Sixteen**

Mitsui and Kogure materialized themselves beside the Ferris wheel ride in stealth mode, both of them in their original forms. Kogure had his white wings out and long brown hair flowing, while Mitsui had his black wings tucked comfortably on his back as he tied his hair into a ponytail, since he was used to having his hair short. He looked at the cart below them and cursed silently. Inside the cart were Hanamichi and that girl named Haruko, and at the moment, Haruko was asking Hanamichi for a kiss. Mitsui grinded his teeth together when Hanamichi nodded at her request. "Damn it! We're too late!" 

Kogure observed the pair inside the cart, and a small smile crossed his face. "Hisashi, can you go back to Sakuragi-kun's house?" 

"Eh? Why?" Mitsui asked, confused by his lover's request. 

Kogure eyed Hanamichi's face. "Don't worry. He'll be there. You can be sure of that." 

Mitsui watched Kogure's eager face, then nodded. "Okay." Then, before he turned away, he caught the back of Kogure's head and pressed their lips together. Kogure uttered a small sound of protest at first, but gradually, he responded. Mitsui leaned away and smiled. "Good luck." With that, he turned around and disappeared into thin air. 

Kogure smiled back. "You too." Then, he turned to face the two and murmured, "Here goes." He place both his hands over Hanamichi's head and closed his eyes. "Forgive me Father for what I am about to do..." A strange light formed under his hands and circled Hanamichi's body. 

* * * * * * 

_This is what I want...right?_

Hanamichi didn't understand himself anymore. He wanted Haruko from the beginning, got her, and now, he couldn't even lean forward to kiss her. He was stiff as a board, his heart steady and beating normally as if waiting for a kiss was like waiting for a bus. Not exciting, not exhilarating, nothing. He felt dead. He opened his eyes partially and saw that Haruko's face was already close to his, her lips about 4 inches away. He closed his lips again. _What is wrong with me? I love-_

_Hana..._

_What?_ Hanamichi opened his eyes partially again, and blinked when he saw Rukawa's face instead of Haruko's in front of him. He stared in stunned silence as that beautiful face drew closer to his and whispered his name lovingly over and over again. He leaned back, making Haruko open her eyes and Rukawa's face disappear. Hanamichi leaned back even further as he place one hand over his mouth, his heart racing. _What?..._

"Hanamichi-kun?" Haruko inquired tentatively, placing one of her hands over Hanamichi's. 

Involuntarily, Hanamichi drew his hand away from her touch, as if she was made out of fire or she was some vile creature. He stared back at her, then, he stared at his hands, shocked at what he did. "Wha-What is wrong-" 

_Hana..._

Hanamichi looked up from his hands and felt his eyes trained on the ghost-like face of Rukawa in front of him. Rukawa gave him a loving smile then came over, cupping Hanamichi's face in his hands as he whispered, _"I love you..."_ Then, he gave Hanamichi a small kiss and disappeared, leaving Hanamichi breathless and wanting more. 

Hanamichi opened his eyes slowly, as if he was waking up from a pleasant dream, when he felt that airy presence disappear. He saw Haruko talking to him, concern masking her face as she looked him over for any injuries. But Hanamichi couldn't hear her. He was in a dream-like state, and he was falling into that state more and more. He heard someone softly as in his ear, _Who do you love, Hanamichi?..._ And he whispered just as softly, 

"Rukawa..." 

The Ferris wheel stopped right on time just as Hanamichi shot up from his seat. He opened the door swiftly and ran outside, glad for the cool air that invaded his suddenly hot system. He bent down as he gasped for air, suddenly feeling like he hasn't had any air for the last 3 minutes. He heard Haruko come up behind him as she asked, "Hanamichi-kun, daijobu desu ka?" 

Hanamichi slowly regulated his breathing, glad for the air that surrounded him. When he finally got his heart to beat normally, he straightened his position, his back facing Haruko, as he said, "Gomenasai, Haruko-chan..." 

"Eh?" Haruko clasped her hands together when Hanamichi said that. She swallowed nervously as she twirled her fingers around each other. "A-ano, Hanamichi-kun, I don't understa-" 

"And you don't need to." Hanamichi interrupted, tilting his head back to look at the moon. He then saw Rukawa's smiling face etched on the surface of the moon and smiled to himself. Suddenly, his heart felt lighter. "Thank you, though." 

Haruko eyed him curiously. "For what?" 

Hanamichi turned and hugged her to him. He kissed her temple lovingly and whispered, "You're a great person, and I'm grateful that you told me that you love me, but..." He drew away from the smaller girl and cupped her face in his hands. "I love someone else." Haruko stiffened in his arms, but Hanamichi held her to him, fearing that he may break her heart. "I thought I loved you at first. I've always watched you from afar, and I even tried to talk to you, but to no avail, I backed away. When a certain someone appeared in my life, he helped me get you, and I thought that my wish was finally granted." Hanamichi sighed and closed his eyes as he rested his head on top of Haruko's. "But I was wrong..." 

Haruko remained silent and still at that, her arms limp against her sides. 

Hanamichi shook his head. "I fell for that person. I may have know that someone for just a few days, but, every minute with that person was..." He looked up at the moon as he smiled. "Wonderful...And, I know that I have given that person a lot of wrong accusations and fights, but..." 

"You love him." 

"What?" Hanamichi drew away from Haruko's head, and when he looked down, he saw her looking up at him with a few tears in her eyes, but with a smile on her lips. He gave her a confused look. "Haruko..." 

"Rukawa..." Haruko replied as she wiped her tears away. "You love Kaede Rukawa, right?" 

Hanamichi tipped his head back. "How'd you know?" 

"You said his name back there in the Ferris wheel cart." Haruko shook her head when more tears started to flow out, but she pushed Hanamichi's hand away as he raised it towards her face. "No, it's okay" She blew her nose against her handkerchief, and when she was finished with that, she gave Hanamichi a smile. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go to him." 

Hanamichi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at her. "Wh-what?" 

"Go to him. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I just...need some time to be alone, but you don't have much time left, do you?" Haruko gave Hanamichi's stunned look a small laugh. "You said everything in the desperately, so I thought that he may have gone away or something." 

Hanamichi laughed in relief and hugged her to him again. "Thank you! You sure are a special girl. I think that's the very reason why I fell for you at first glance." 

Haruko smiled. "Thank you." Then, she gave Hanamichi a hard push towards the exit. "Now GO!" 

"Hai!" With a relieved laugh, he extracted himself from her hold and ran out of the carnival, leaving Haruko looking after him. 

She sighed and felt another tear slide down her face as she whispered, "Good luck, Hanamichi-kun." 

* * * * * * 

Sendoh approached Death from behind as he said in a loud voice, "Yo, Death." 

Death turned around from his crystal ball reading and regarded the smiling demon curiously. "Ah, young Akira, may I help you with anything?" 

Sendoh smirked diabolically as he stepped forward. "Yes, I think you can." He motioned his head to one side as he continued. "You see, one part of the hall's decoration isn't quite right, so I was wondering if you could help me go all the way to New York to ask your cousin for the materials." 

"New York?!" Death gasped out as he stood up. "Why all the way there?" 

"That's the only place that has the best quality of the curtain we need for that wall." Sendoh shrugged back, then, he smiled. "And I'm sure Kaede's father would want the very best quality of merchandise for this occasion." 

Death stopped short at that and thought it over. He made some sounds under his breath, murmuring a few things to himself once in a while, then, turned to look at Sendoh's grinning face. "Don't you think we will be late if we do that?" 

"Oh, no." Sendoh assured. "I think we'll be right on time." 

Death sighed, then finally, nodded his head. "Yes. I'm sure that Satan would want the very best." He grabbed his scythe from the wall and stood beside Sendoh. "Shall we go?" 

Sendoh nodded, a small, satisfied grin on his face. "Ready when you are." 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi ran down the road towards his house, his mind racing already as he jumped over fences and climbed over walls. All the while, he kept on whispering one word over and over again. 

"Rukawa...Rukawa...Rukawa..." 

He wanted to see Rukawa. He wanted to tell Rukawa how he felt, and how sorry he was. He wanted to tell Rukawa EVERYTHING that he felt, and hoped in his heart that Rukawa would still love him after all that he has done. Finally, he got home in what seemed like an eternity for him but what had only been 3 minutes, and ran up the stairs and into the room Rukawa slept in. He looked around and noted that everything looked fixed and untouched, as if Rukawa had never slept her before. He went inside the bathroom and looked around. No sign of Rukawa. 

Feeling energized, he searched the entire house form the basement to the attic, from the top room to the last room. When he finally checked the last room, his hope of finding Rukawa waiting for him or simply just to be there was slowly disappearing. He slumped down on the bed he saw in front of him, and covered his eyes as tears welled up. _It's all my fault...if I only told him how I felt...now it's too late..._

"Hanamichi..." 

Hanamichi opened his eyes at that voice. "Mitchy..." 

Mitsui had no idea where that nickname came from, and he certainly didn't like it, but the look of helplessness and defeat in Hanamichi's eyes made him push that issue away as he moved towards the redhead. He stood in front of him and asked, "Hanamichi, I know how you can get to Kaede. Though it may be risky, it can be the only way." 

Hanamichi lifted his head off the bed and regarded Mitsui with tearful eyes. "Kitsune?..." 

Mitsui nodded. "Aa." 

"I'll do it!" Hanamichi shouted, suddenly getting a small part of his energy back at that name. "I don't care if it's dangerous or whatever! As long as I get to see Kitsune and tell him that I love him, then I'll take the challenge!" 

Mitsui smiled softly at Hanamichi's answer. "That's what I thought you'd say." Then, he got a black robe from his back and handed it over to Hanamichi. Once Hanamichi held that in his hands, Mitsui dumped another set of clothing on top of the robe. "Okay, these are the clothes you'll be wearing. Now change! It's already 7:30!" 

Hanamichi held the clothes in front of him and gave Mitsui a perplexed look. "Why the hell do I have to wear these things?" 

Mitsui gave him a small grin. "You want to see Kaede, right? Well, change into those, coz you and I are going to go to the Underworld, and you'll be a candidate to be Kaede's bride!" 

**TBC**

Camry: Wai!!!! They're going to the Underworld!! Nyahahahahahahahahahaha! Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. I know that most of you guys want this story to continue, me being included in that list, but all things must come to an end soon. Anyway, it won't be that soon. ^_^ REVIEW please! ARIGATOU! 


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Seventeen**

Rukawa stood in front of his mirror with a passive face looking back at him as he took in his wedding attire. It was magnificent. He wore a plain, white shirt that had those frilly sleeves and buttons that met at the center, topped with a blue vest with gold and silver linings on the side and edges of each pocket, collar, and cuffs. He wore black slacks that clung to every curve and form of his long, legs, and at the end, the most expensive black boots in the world. Topping it all off, he had a robe on his shoulders, the inside a dark, velvet black, the outside a dark, velvet blue. He attached his sword around his hips and place it on his right side, looking like the perfect prince. 

Rukawa sighed and turned away from the mirror and moved towards his chair, sitting down on it as he brought his hand up to his face, fingering his jaw as he tried to think. It wasn't happening, though. Nothing was entering his mind. All he could see was a face with a pair of brown eyes looking back at him, an arrogant mouth turned up in a grin, and wild, fiery hair moving with an unseen force. Rukawa shook his head as he leaned forward to try to touch his imagination. As expected, it disappeared like it always did. 

He bent his head down as tears threatened to burst free. He shouldn't cry. Hanamichi had finally gotten his wish. He was happy, and that's all Rukawa wanted for him. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get that redhead out of his head. His laugh, his smile, his blushes, his touch...EVERYTHING! Rukawa swore that he was going to lose his mind if ever he saw one more image of Hanamichi in his mind. So far, he has counted 6. 

Someone knocked hard on the door then, bringing Rukawa out of his stupor condition. He ran a finger along his cheek to see if any tears had leaked out involuntarily, and when he found none, he stood up from his chair and answered, "Come in." 

The door opened quietly as Sylvester walked in, a scroll in his left hand, and a pen in the other. He bowed down respectfully to the young prince as he said, "Sir, everything is in order. They are all waiting for you." 

Rukawa turned to look at himself in the mirror one more time, took a deep breath, and turned to face Sylvester, a deadly expression on his face. "Let us go." 

"Yes, young master." 

As Rukawa exited the room and followed his father's advisor down the corridor, he bit his lip when Hanamichi's face floated in front of his eyes again. He balled his hands into two tight fists as he went down the stairs and caught sight of the millions and millions of demons scattered around the entire area, waiting for him to arrive. He released the breath he had been holding in and looked up at the ceiling, a wistful look on his face. 

_Sayonara...Hana..._

* * * * * * 

Sendoh smiled as he led Death further and further into the store. Death blinked when he saw no one inside, then turned to face Sendoh. "It seems that my cousin has gone to the wedding ceremony too. I think that we should head back now?" 

"But what about the materials we need for the wall?" Sendoh asked. 

Death shook his head and passed the young man quickly. "They should have done something by now. Now, let's go back, or we'll be late." 

"Actually, we're right on time." 

"Huh?" Death turned towards the blue eyed boy at that statement, and raised his head a notch higher. "What do you mean-" Before he could finish his sentence, a box made out of a thin layer of air formed around him and trapped him inside. Death charged forward and pounded on the glass, screaming something at Sendoh, but Sendoh couldn't hear him. 

Sendoh sighed and smiled at Death's actions. "Give it up, Death. I looked this spell up in your own book and you wrote there that it was impossible to break this unless a relative of yours comes. Well, you were right." Sendoh smirked happily at the enraged cloaked figure inside. "Your cousin _is_ in Kaede's wedding ceremony, and the best part is, no one will be here to help you out." 

Death pounded on the barrier one more time, then mouthed angrily, 'How?' 

Sendoh backed up and explained. "When I lured you out of your room, my lover came and took your book. He read it as he ran here ahead of us and set this up for me." Sendoh looked to the side, and out of thin air, Koshino appeared, looking like an innocent child. "Pretty clever, huh?" 

Death started raving and boxing the barrier at full strength then, shouting things at them, but they couldn't be heard. 

Sendoh laughed and took Koshino in his arms. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a wedding to catch." With a smile, Sendoh snapped his fingers and disappeared together with Koshino, leaving an enraged Death all alone. 

* * * * * * 

Mitsui looked Hanamichi over and gave a low whistle. "Man, oh, man...I never thought I'd see the day you'd look like _this_..." 

Hanamichi blushed at that and wrapped the black coat around him. "I look stupid." 

"No you don't." Mitsui looked at the clock and nodded. "Right. It's 9:25. We're right on schedule." Then, he turned his back to Hanamichi as he conjured a portal in front of them both. When he was done, he grabbed Hanamichi's hand and pulled them both in. "Close your eyes." 

Hanamichi did, and was glad for that advice. It felt like they were caught in a tornado of some sort. The wind was brushing against his body like silk, the movement was like riding a roller coaster, and the portal seemed to drop endlessly like a bottomless pit. Finally, when he felt that his ears weren't ringing anymore and he wasn't falling, he cautiously opened his eyes, and gasped at the sight in front of him. He had always thought of hell as a small cavern filled with fire and rocks with little devils jumping around singing some nasty song, but THIS wasn't anything like that. 

It was...marvelous. Though the entire place looked dead because of the darkness and loss of greenery, it was still enchanting. The moon looked like it was a blue orb with silver lines etched on it. The sky was a mix of dark blue and indigo, giving the area a weird lighting, and finally, his eyes landed on the castle. 

It was bigger than any other castle or area he has ever imagined. It looked like it took up 50 hectares of land, and it had a dark cloud surrounding the perimeter. There were 4 main towers that had the seal of what resembled a scythe and a sword crossed over wings. Hanamichi swallowed in both dismay and admiration. The image was quite imposing. 

Mitsui laughed at Hanamichi's expression. "Shocked or stunned?" 

Hanamichi shook his head as he tightened his hold on the coat around him. "Both." 

Mitsui laughed again, then, whistled. Hanamichi looked at him, wondering why he did that, when his eyes caught sight of 2 horses coming towards them. Hanamichi's eyes widened. One of them was as normal as any other horse you would see. It had a brown coat and dark brown hair. Hanamichi guessed that would be his horse, but what made his eyes widen was the other horse, Mitsui's horse. It had a midnight black coat, had the same height as the other horse, but the hair was made out of blue fire. It was fascinating to watch as the horse finally stopped in front of them. 

Mitsui went towards his horse and got on it. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" 

Hanamichi snapped out of his staring game and looked at his horse. He sweat dropped. "Ah...Mitchy?" 

"Hmmm?" Mitsui asked as he turned his horse to face the castle. 

Hanamichi gave him a small smile. "Ano...how do I ride a horse?" 

Mitsui almost fell to the ground at that question. He straightened himself and shook his head. "You are one weird kid." When Hanamichi heard what Mitsui called him and opened his mouth to retort, Mitsui interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "We don't have enough time, so listen up." Mitsui patiently instructed Hanamichi on how to get up, place his other foot on the other side, and finally, hold the horse steady. Hanamichi grumbled every now and then, wanting to get back at Mitsui for what he called him, but kept in inside a he tried his best to follow the older mans instructions. Finally, when he sat upright on the horse, Mitsui nodded. "Good. Now, let's go." 

Hanamichi nodded back and dug the heels of his boots into the sides of the horse just as Mitsui taught him. They were both streaking down the road and towards the castle gates in a few seconds. Hanamichi looked up at the castle gates as Mitsui spoke to the main guard. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the main tower. 

_Wait for me...Rukawa._

* * * * * * 

Eri Fujisawa caught Rukawa's arm in a hug and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You look magnificent, Kaede. And so sexy too..." 

Rukawa wanted kill her right then and there. Ever since he came down the stairs, she had glued herself to his arm, pressing her breasts against his side as she gave him sultry looks. He sighed. Nearly everyone in the room was already whispering that Eri was going to be his wife. Also, she had attracted nearly everyone in the castle to look at her. She was wearing a gown that resembled a gown only that the line was in front of her breast all the way to her ankles. The gown could have fallen off by then if ever the clasps came undone. 

Rukawa sighed and looked at the clock. It was 10:00 pm... He extracted himself from Eri's hold and walked up the platform, drawing everyone's attention to him. He raised his hands to stop everyone's chattering and voiced out, "Welcome and thank you for coming to my marriage ceremony." He started, looking around the room as he did so. "As you all may have noticed, my father isn't here at the moment due to a meeting being held in Denver, however, as the old saying goes, 'the show must go on'." He paused for a while, then continued his speech, not noticing that the great doors were slowly parting. "As the centuries have passed, our powers have been multiplying and multiplying. With each heir comes an even greater power..." 

People near the door started gasping softly as a figure weaved his way through the crowd. 

Rukawa looked at Eri's shining face, then forced himself to continue. "I promise you all that I will rule the Underworld with all my strength and bring it to the top." He paused again and closed his eyes, not noticing the figure that has just entered closing in. He opened his eyes then and announced, "It is with great honor and pleasure that I present to you, my bride-" Rukawa suddenly stopped as a certain presence infiltrated his system. He gasped out loud when he recognized it, and looked up in disbelief at the figure who stepped up beside Eri. His eyes widened. _Sou na..._

The person was cloaked in an attire that looked somewhat like his, but different. The person had the same plain, white shirt, black slacks and boots, only instead of a blue vest, his was red. And instead of a dark blue cloak, he had a dark, velvet red one. His hair was slicked back in a stylish manner, and he too had a sword on his right. 

Rukawa gulped down the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat and stared at the beauty in front of him. He couldn't believe it. It had to be some kind of dream. But even as he said those things to himself, he couldn't help but gasp out the name. 

"Hana..." 

Hanamichi smiled up at him and tipped his head to one side. "Hey there, Kitsune." 

Everyone around the room started bustling around and murmuring to each other, and that was the only time Rukawa remembered that he was suppose to announce his new bride. 

Mitsui came towards Rukawa and latched his arm around Rukawa's shoulder as he shouted out, "Ladies and gentlemen, behold the choice of our young prince, Kaede Rukawa...Hanamichi Sakuragi!" 

Rukawa swallowed again as Hanamichi stepped up to the platform for everyone to see. When Hanamichi was finally beside him, he leaned in close to Rukawa's ear and whispered, "You didn't make my wish come true." 

Rukawa snapped out of his stunned state and stared at Hanamichi. "Wh-what are you-?" 

"My wish was to be happy with the person I loved." Hanamichi interrupted. And right in front of all the demons around them, Hanamichi leaned in close to Rukawa. "How could I be happy if the one I love is going to get married to someone else?" 

And before Rukawa could answer that question, Hanamichi kissed him squarely on the lips. 

**TBC**

Camry: Wai!!! Okay guys, the NC-17 part is coming closer! Hahahahaha! But you have to wait for it! ^_^ Hmmm... Hanamichi kissed Rukawa... Hanamichi kissed Rukawa... *Camry jumps around happily* Hehehehe! Die ERI!!! ^_^ Anyway, REVIEW please! Thank you! 


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Eighteen**

_Sou na..._ At the moment, it was the only thing Rukawa could manage to think of as Hanamichi continued to kiss him passionately. His entire system went dead with shock at the appearance of Hanamichi in his world, and at the action he had just done. No matter how much he willed himself to pull away so that things wouldn't get even more complicated, he couldn't. His body chose to remain still. 

Hanamichi didn't mind the lack of response from the raven haired boy as he slanted his head to one side so he could give Rukawa a longer and hotter kiss. He was also very aware that he was standing in front of what looked like a million demons, dressed like some kind of prince, and was kissing the heir of the Underworld, but he wouldn't chicken out now. He just had to tell Rukawa how much he loved him, how sorry he was for doubting him, and hoping that Rukawa would forgive him. 

Finally, after what seemed like 40 seconds, Hanamichi released Rukawa's lips and leaned back slightly, their foreheads against each other. They both gasped for air, their chests heaving as they breathed in and out. Hanamichi, managing to regulate his lungs and heart first, looked up into Rukawa's eyes and whispered lovingly, "Aishiteru." 

Rukawa's eyes widened to the size of a fist as he stopped breathing, staring at Hanamichi in shock. _Nani?..._

Hanamichi shook his head and continued gazing into Rukawa's eyes, their foreheads still touching. "I loved you all along..." His shoulders shook as he said that, relieved to finally get it off his chest, as he forced himself to continue. "I was blind. I thought that my wish was to have Haruko, but, it changed when you came into my life." 

Rukawa breathed in and out rapidly. _Me?_

Hanamichi nodded at the question Rukawa asked through his eyes. "Yes, you." Then, he smiled warmly. "You were the one who I fell in love with blindly. At the beginning, I saw you as a demon sent from the Underworld to get me what I wanted. I saw you as a tool, a guardian, someone of no great importance, but now..." Hanamichi exhaled and closed his eyes as he touched the tip of his nose against Rukawa's. "I finally see _you_." 

Rukawa stiffened at that. _Hana..._

Hanamichi chuckled softly. "I see _Kaede Rukawa_, a beautiful person with a caring heart, a mischievous character, and a protective friend. I see you as someone who loves and needs to be loved in return. I see a powerful leader, born to make the right decisions in life for both his people and himself." Hanamichi opened his eyes then and looked into Rukawa's stunned blue eyes. "I see someone I love, someone I loved from the very beginning, and someone I'll love till the very end of my life." He place a chaste kiss on Rukawa's lips and whispered against them, "I see and love only you..." 

Rukawa was shaking already as Hanamichi whispered all those words to him. He bit his lips hard at the last sentence Hanamichi said, and lowered his gaze to the floor, digesting everything that had just happened. _Doshite...Hana?..._ His clenched hands shook harder as closed his eyes tight. _Naze da? Why'd you have to make things more complicated?_

Hanamichi leaned in close to Rukawa and whispered in a concerned voice, "Kitsune...you okay?" 

Rukawa exhaled the breath he unconsciously held in and licked the wound he made on his lips. Then, making a decision in his mind regardless of what might happen, he pulled away from Hanamichi, gave him a passive look, and turned towards the crowd. 

Hanamichi blinked as Rukawa turned away from him, then, he slumped his head, a tear escaping his left eye. He clenched his teeth tightly together as he balled his hands into fists, forcing himself to remain calm. _It's over, Hanamichi. You have done the exact same thing to him, so now it's pay back time. It's over._ Hanamichi admitted this to himself over and over again so that the tears wouldn't erupt right then and there. 

Mitsui gave Hanamichi a worried look, then turned to face his cousin with a glare. "Kaede-" 

Rukawa place his hand in front of Mitsui's face, thus stopping whatever Mitsui was about to say. Mitsui sulkily backed away, still glaring daggers at the raven haired boy, as Rukawa faced the crowd one more time. Rukawa looked around the hall for a while, then announced without any emotion on his face, "As my cousin here, Hisashi Mitsui, has announced, I will marry Hanamichi Sakuragi." 

"EH?!" Almost everyone's mouth dropped to the floor at that announcement, including Mitsui's. Eri was seething with rage, her teeth grinding against each other as she refrained herself from screaming out her protest. Sylvester, on the other, looked as pale as a sheet of paper, the scroll in his hands falling to the floor, obviously not expecting this to happen. 

Hanamichi choked back a cry at that announcement, and raised his head up to look at the back of Rukawa's head, his fists shaking because of his wanting to cry. _Kitsune..._

Rukawa didn't turn to face Hanamichi, even though he heard Hanamichi call him out through his mind. Instead, he faced the crowd and continued. "And instead of the usual ritual of marking my bride as mine in front of all of you, I will change that rule. I will have my bride in the privacy of my chambers. That is all. Thank you all for coming." 

Even though he had ended his speech already, Eri burst out angrily, "You can't marry HIM, Kaede! He is a _**MORTAL**_!" 

Many demons once again gasped in both shock and horror, not knowing that the young man with red hair was a mortal. Most of them couldn't sense the difference from a mortal to a demon, due to their powers, but those with very powerful blood could. Eri was one of them, and she wasn't going to give up her chance to rule with power. Mitsui read the look she had on her face, and clenched his hand. Things were going so well, but _she_ just had to point it out. He looked up from her to Rukawa's face and silently asked, _What are you going to do now, Kaede?_

Rukawa closed his eyes for a while as if he was in deep thought. Then, he looked around the great hall, and finally, his eyes landed on Eri. "I have made my decision, and I won't change it. Sylvester." He called out suddenly. 

The advisor, slightly startled, stuttered for a while before standing up straight. "Hai, Kaede-sama?" 

Rukawa leaned back slightly as he stated, "Please ensure the safety of all of our guests as they make their way home. Since I have already chosen my bride, and I won't have them watching the ritual, they have nothing else to do." With that, he turned around, gave Hanamichi a look, then faced the servant standing beside Mitsui. "You, when Hanamichi is ready, bring him to my room." 

"Ha-hai, Kaede-sama!" The servant gasped out. Then, without another word, Rukawa walked towards his room, leaving a very stunned Mitsui and Hanamichi staring after him. 

* * * * * * 

Eri grinded her teeth together as she stared at Rukawa. He turned to say something to the servant boy beside Mitsui, then left, leaving that mortal and Mitsui alone. She turned around angrily and stomped off towards the exit, determined to tell her parents about this _insulting_ ceremony. 

Then, she paused as she remembered something. Her parent's told her to invite Death over for dinner on Tuesday, and if she remembered correctly, her mother said that Satan left everything under the care of Death. She paused for a while and looked around. For all the time she has been in here, she hasn't caught sight of Death for one second. She turned around, and at the exact same time, saw Sendoh and another demon appear from a portal in front of Mitsui. She place herself in stealth mode then and moved closer to the 4 who were talking, Sendoh doing most of it, anyway. 

Sendoh laughed out loud, proud with himself. "Well, everything went according to plan!" He announced, seeing that there was no one near enough to hear their conversation. 

Mitsui sighed out in relief and smiled at his brother. "Hey, how'd you manage to get Death out of the picture, anyway?" 

Sendoh grinned and pulled out an old looking book. "Well, Koshino here stole Death's little diary, and found a spell to keep him trapped without anyone to get him out...for the time being that is." Sendoh shrugged and looked at Mitsui. "By the way, what's the status report on Purgatory? Is he going home to New York now? Or what?" 

Mitsui shook his head. "No. I heard him telling General Rufus that he'll be passing by Hawaii before going home on Monday." 

Sendoh rubbed his hands together, an evil chuckle escaping his lips. "Goodie..." 

Mitsui laughed at his brother's expression and looked back at Hanamichi, who stilled had a stunned expression on his face. He waved his hand back and forth across Hanamichi's eyes, and as expected, there was no reaction. Mitsui blinked. "He's out of it." 

Koshino did the exact same thing Mitsui did, then sighed. "Well, it looks like he won't be able to walk to the bathroom for the cleansing ritual." 

Sendoh shrugged. "Then let's go." With that, the 3 of them hoisted a very stiff cardboard-like Hanamichi on their shoulders and made their way towards the bathroom on the top floor. 

When they were finally gone, Eri got out of her stealth mode and chewed on her nail, her mind already formulating a plan on how to get Rukawa to change his mind about his choice for his bride. With an evil giggle, she disappeared into a puff of smoke. 

* * * * * * 

Mitsui gave an exasperated sigh and slapped Hanamichi in the face one more time. "Come on, Hanamichi! Snap out of it!" 

Sendoh rubbed his head and settled for waving his hand in front of the still shocked redhead's eyes. When he got no response, he too fell back, a groan escaping his lips. "Darn it. After all the trouble we went through just to get them together, _this_ just had to happen." 

Koshino rolled his eyes and looked at the door beside the tub. He turned to face Sendoh and asked in a quiet voice, "Doesn't that door open up to Kaede-sama's chambers? Why don't we call him?" 

Mitsui thought that option over for a while, then shook his head. "Nah. I think Kaede's in the middle of his own cleansing ritual." 

Sendoh shrugged in defeat, then, had an idea. "Koshino, get the bathrobe. Mitsui, help me undress Hanamichi." 

Both stared at the blue eyed boy as if he had grown horns on his head. 

Sendoh stared back at them with a confused look on his face. Then, understanding dawned on him. He defensively place out his hands, shaking his head fiercely. "I didn't mean that _we_ mark _him_! Jeez! I just thought of a plan, so please, can you help me with it?" Sendoh gave them an I-don't-believe-you-guys look when he finished saying that. "Come on! My plans haven't failed anyone yet, so..." 

Mitsui sighed and nodded. "Fine." 

As they started doing what Sendoh ordered them to do, Hanamichi still remained passive and deaf. All he could see in front of him was Rukawa's face as he made that announcement to the entire demon society about him being the chosen bride. Hanamichi still couldn't believe it. All he wanted to do when he realized what he felt for Rukawa was tell him, hope that Rukawa still loved him, and live happily ever after, like all his simple-minded imaginations. However, he never expected to MARRY the raven haired boy! No. That plan never came up. He was still lost in his own thoughts as Koshino finally tied the sash of the bathrobe around his waist, not knowing that he was naked underneath. 

The trio nodded at each other, and they all said their good-bye's at Hanamichi as they left him standing all alone in front of the tub. They all exited the large, marble bathroom, a particularly wide grin on Sendoh's face as he closed the door shut, making Hanamichi notice how deafening the sound of silence could be. 

Hanamichi then released the breath he had been holding in, glad for the silence and the loss of people. He needed to think, and fast. Okay, firstly, he has been already announced as the bride of Kitsune, so there's no turning back now. Secondly, he had _kissed_ Rukawa in front of millions of demons, which wasn't like him at all. And finally, he was going to be... 

Hanamichi blushed at that thought and swallowed nervously, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. When he had heard Rukawa announce that he would 'mark' him in his chambers, Hanamichi thought of it as some kind of joke. Come on! Millions people watching 2 persons making love right in front of them?! It wasn't possible. Well, it sort of was, considering that they _were_ in another dimension or world. Hanamichi blushed and grabbed a fistful of the bathrobe he was wearing, feeling scared and anxious. Rukawa was...He was going to... 

"What the hell is wrong with you _now_, do'aho?" 

Hanamichi's mind froze at that voice, and unconsciously, his body moved on it's own accord to face the owner of that voice. Hanamichi gulped, feeling that a bucket of ice was poured on over his head. There, standing by the door that connected the bathroom to what looked like a room, was none other that Rukawa. He had on the same kind of bathrobe Hanamichi wore at the moment, only Rukawa didn't have any expression on his face. His eyes were blazing with a certain energy, yes, but his face remained passive as he looked Hanamichi over, a frown suddenly appearing on his cool exterior. 

Hanamichi's eyes widened in fear as he took a step back. "Ki-kitsune?" It was strange. The voice that came out of Rukawa's voice sounded so harsh, so angry, so...disgusted. 

Rukawa shook his head and walked towards Hanamichi, an irritated and impatient look etched on his face. "Sendoh called me from my room just now. Why haven't you taken a bath, do'aho? I'm suppose to have sex with you by now." 

Hanamichi blushed at that, and backed away from Rukawa. With each step Rukawa took forward, Hanamichi took one back. "Ma-matte yo, Ru-" 

"Why should I wait?" Rukawa said indifferently, not stopping in his stride as he glared angrily at Hanamichi. 

Hanamichi's spine bumped against the wall, and he gasped, feeling like a trapped animal in front of a beast. When he turned to look at Rukawa, he uttered a surprised cry when 2 strong hands shot past his head to lie flat on the wall by his ears. He blinked as Rukawa leaned forward, a dangerous gleam in his eye. Hanamichi shrunk back in fear as he turned his head to one side, closing his eyes at the same time. "Onegai..." He whimpered softly. 

Rukawa stopped leering over Hanamichi, pausing midway as he watched the redhead in between his arms. Angrily, he demanded, "What do you want to say, Hana? Huh? Come on, tell me." 

Hanamichi bent his head lower as he clenched his teeth. "Why are you mad?!" 

Rukawa gave a mocking laugh at that. "Why am I mad?" He grabbed Hanamichi's arms and slammed the redhead against the marble wall, bringing Hanamichi's eyes open and to lock with his. "Do you want to know why? Okay, I'll tell you." Rukawa leaned in closer and muttered with venom in his voice, "You could have almost been KILLED! Are you so stupid as to risk your own life to come here, not knowing what demons may do to you?! If you had been on the road outside the castle all alone, believe me, the demons there would have _eaten_ you in a second. Then, you showed up in the middle of the wedding ceremony, wherein over a _million_ demons were present, and if any of them paid attention to you and found out that you were a mortal, then you'll be _murdered_! Tell me, are my reasons for being mad good enough?!" 

Hanamichi choked out a cry. "All I wanted was to see you again!" He locked his arms around Rukawa's neck and buried his head on the shoulder blade of the raven haired boy. "All I wanted was to tell you that I love you and hoped that you still loved me!" Hanamichi broke down then, burying his face deeper into the bathrobe of Rukawa as he released all his pent up anger and regret. 

Rukawa remained still for a while, then, after a while of staring at Hanamichi sobbing on him, he exhaled, his tense muscles relaxing themselves. He buried his face into Hanamichi's soft locks, wrapping his arms around Hanamichi's body, breathing in the scent that was distinctly the redheads. He murmured brokenly as the tears he had held back from the time he had arrived here poured out continuously, "I tried so hard to forget you, knowing that you'll be happy, but when you risked your life to come to my world..." He squeezed Hanamichi tightly. "I was so mad. I didn't want you to get hurt both physically and mentally because of me." 

Hanamichi shook his head against Rukawa's shoulder and lifted his tear stained face up to look at Rukawa. "I'm so sorry for not seeing your love and returning it! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry for being a do'aho!" 

Rukawa smiled gently at the redhead, despite the tears that were falling down his face. He cupped Hanamichi's face in his hands and nodded. "Aa. Omae wa honto ni do'aho..." When Hanamichi's eyes became watery again, Rukawa leaned in close, their lips almost touching. "But...you are _my_ do'aho..." He gave a chaste kiss on Hanamichi's quivering lips, then said against them, "I still love you." 

Fresh tears burst out of Hanamichi's eyes as he locked his arms tightly around Rukawa's neck, and kissed the blue eyed boy, releasing and forgetting all of his doubts, fears, resistance, and hatred into the air. He felt so happy and light. Rukawa still loved him! He still loved him, despite all the things he had done. Hanamichi kissed Rukawa passionately, a smile forming on his lips. _Aishiteru, Kitsune! Daisuki!_

Rukawa kissed his redhead back, feeling like a heavy load was taken off his chest. He pressed Hanamichi against the wall, his mind and heart racing. When he finally caught both of Hanamichi's wrists, he pulled them above Hanamichi's head and pinned them against the wall with one of his hands. Rukawa observed the way Hanamichi was breathing so hard, his eyes glazed as he looked up at Rukawa. Rukawa smiled warmly and murmured, "Do'aho..." 

With that, he bent down and kissed Hanamichi with all the love he felt, feeling free at last. 

**TBC**

Camry: Wai!!!! Go Rukawa!!! Woohoo!!! Anyway, just to let you know, the NC-17 part is next! Yatta! Hehehehe! Sorry for posting this a bit late. I went out today, sooo...gomen! Anyway, hoped you liked the chapter. ^_^ REVIEW please! Thank you! 


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: NC-17  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

_WARNING: LEMON PART AHEAD_

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Nineteen**

Hanamichi moaned deeply into Rukawa's mouth as the raven haired boy licked a sweet, sinful trail of it's own from the bottom lip of the redhead to the opening of the mouth, slipping his tongue in when Hanamichi gasped in surprise. Hanamichi felt suddenly so aroused. He shifted his body from left to right, front and back, suddenly too flexible and fidgety. When Rukawa place one leg in between Hanamichi's thighs, Hanamichi's eyes widened as he gasped into Rukawa's mouth. _Oh my God...I'm...naked..._ He was painfully aware that Rukawa was deliberately pushing his own sex against Hanamichi's, rotating his hips seductively against the redheads, making Hanamichi harder by the second. His entire body felt so hot, his mind was blurry, and it felt as if his body had a mind of it's own. Hanamichi moaned, arching his head back in the process as he shut his eyes. 

Rukawa pulled away from the French kiss he had given Hanamichi, and smiled when Hanamichi exposed his neck to his gaze. He licked his lips and latched on to the column of Hanamichi's neck where the jaw and neck met, sucking the skin as he moved his hands around Hanamichi's body. He felt Hanamichi jump in his arms, and smiled at that. _You're mine now, Hana...all mine..._

Hanamichi shivered when Rukawa sucked in his flesh, nibbling on it for a while, then licked it when he pulled back. Hanamichi blushed even harder then, laying his head against Rukawa's shoulder for support since Rukawa had his arms pinned over his head. He looked up with glazed eyes at the raven haired boy and whispered, "Kitsune..." 

"Kaede, Hana." Rukawa whispered back, licking his way from Hanamichi's red lips to the shoulder blade. He paused there and gently bit the bone, making Hanamichi arch against him. "Call me Kaede." 

Hanamichi opened his eyes then. "Kaede..." He licked his suddenly dry lips, then looked at Rukawa's hair. "I-ano, I..." 

Rukawa grinned at the way Hanamichi stuttered, unable to get whatever he wanted to say past his mouth. Rukawa looked at the tub behind him, then, got an idea. He released Hanamichi's wrists so suddenly that Hanamichi had no choice but to fall heavily against Rukawa's hard body. Hanamichi blushed when he felt a certain part of Rukawa harden under his touch, but Rukawa didn't pay attention to that as he pulled Hanamichi with him towards the tub. Well, pool was more like it. "Hana..." He rasped out, his throat feeling dry as Hanamichi moved against him. 

Hanamichi managed to stand up on his own, and glanced at Rukawa. "Hai?" 

Rukawa felt his manhood harden even more at the innocent look Hanamichi had on his face, but instead of losing control, he gave Hanamichi one of his best seductive grins. "Let me help you take a bath so that we could move on to the sex part." 

Hanamichi's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "WHAT-?!" But before he could finish his loud exclamation, Rukawa pushed him forward, at the same time grabbed the robe, thus making Hanamichi fall naked into the deepest part of the tub. Hanamichi rose up from the tub and sputtered, since he drank some water. He turned to look at Rukawa and screamed, "BAKA KITSUNE! I COULD HAVE ALMOST DIED! TEME!" But when he finally got his eyes to focus and his shouting to subside, it was only then that he noticed that Rukawa wasn't there anymore. All that was left in that area was Hanamichi's robe...and Rukawa's. 

Hanamichi blushed at what that would mean and turned his body around, looking at every corner of the bathroom. There was no sign of him. Hanamichi stilled his movements on the water and looked around one more time. _Where'd he go?_

But before he could make another round, something soft brushed against his buttocks underwater, making him shriek with surprise as he turned around. Nothing. He was wondering what had touched him when he felt it again, this time, on the back of his left thigh. He nearly screamed, but settled for turning around and glaring. When he saw nothing again, he looked at the bottom of the tub, and shivered. He had only noticed that the bottom of the tub was made out of black marble, making it look like he was swimming in an endless sea. He panicked then, turning his head fervently from one side to the other. He couldn't see what was down there, he didn't know what was touching him, and worst of all, he didn't know if there was a man eating thing under him. 

At that thought, he stiffened and tried to swim towards the other side of the tub, seeing that there was no railing to help him out, and that he didn't want to venture to the deeper parts of the pool. He swam towards the shallow part, breathing out a sigh of relief when his feet finally touched the ground. He walked from then on, his upper body slowly rising with each step he took. When he was about to reach the stairs, someone grabbed him from around the waist and pulled him back. He cried out and struggled fiercely, thinking that a man-eating monster had popped out and decided to eat him, but when he heard the familiar laugh of a certain person from behind him, he turned around and gasped out, "KAEDE!" 

Rukawa laughed, amused by his redhead's reactions. "Hana..." He managed to choke out in between laughs. "You...looked-so...funny!" 

Hanamichi gaped at him in disbelief, then, started punching the raven haired boy on the chest, all the while screaming, "BAKA, BAKA, BAKA!! I almost died in there! I thought that there was a monster that was going to eat me, and all the while, it was YOU! TEME! YARO!" Hanamichi continued hitting Rukawa, closing his eyes as he did so. 

Rukawa laughed and ducked underwater, making Hanamichi hit air. Hanamichi turned around, his head still hot. "Kora! Kitsune! Where are you?!" When he didn't receive any answer, he turned around and made his way towards the stairs again. "Ch! You and your childish games! What the hell-ack!" 

Hanamichi didn't know what happened, but the next thing he knew, his feet were swept off the ground, his body turned to face the ceiling, and Rukawa was cradling him like some sort of child. Hanamichi glared at Rukawa's evil look. "Let me go, you stupid ass! Let me go!" 

Rukawa pouted. "But I thought you said that you loved me?" 

Hanamichi groaned. "I do, okay, but this tub gives me the-shit!" Hanamichi stopped his rambling as he blushed hard. Rukawa grinned, seeing the red face of Hanamichi as he moved his hand over Hanamichi crotch skillfully, making the redhead buck against him. He grinned then squeezed Hanamichi's entire length. Hanamichi opened his mouth in a silent cry, not used to the feeling of another person touching him. 

Rukawa looked at the head of Hanamichi's sex, and gave a satisfied smile. "Beautiful, Hana..." He looked at Hanamichi's face, and added, "You're so beautiful..." 

Hanamichi blushed harder and tried to move away from Rukawa, but the raven haired boy didn't release him. Hanamichi's eyes widened when Rukawa moved his hand up and down his length, making him moan hard. He grasped Rukawa's shoulder and pressed his hot face there, trying to hide how embarrassed he was. He had never done it with anyone, and he has never even masturbated before, but now...Hanamichi arched back when Rukawa's gave the head of his penis a hard squeeze, making some of the fluids escape and run down his length. Hanamichi breathed in and out deeply, feeling bombarded with everything he was feeling. It was too much! 

Rukawa saw the way Hanamichi became silent against him, his body tight with anticipation. When he gave Hanamichi's sex a long stroke, saw that Hanamichi was about to come, he pulled his hand away, making Hanamichi whimper with need, his arms squeezing Rukawa's shoulders. Rukawa smiled and kissed the tears that had leaked out from Hanamichi's eyes. "Not here, Hana. Not yet." 

Hanamichi gave a strangled cry as he held on to Rukawa's neck, wanting to release whatever it was that needed release in his body. His mind was so confused. One minute, he was shouting at Rukawa like nuts, the next, he wants him. His mind felt so drowsy, but at the same time, afraid. He didn't know what to do, so he settled for leaning against Rukawa. 

Rukawa looked at the way Hanamichi's chest rose and fell rapidly with each labored breath he took, and noticed that Hanamichi was wet enough. With that, he hoisted Hanamichi on his arms as he stood up, making his way towards the room with Hanamichi holding on to him. When he place Hanamichi down on the bed, he saw the redhead instantly jerk and recoil. He smiled diabolically. The sheets were made out of a special kind of silk mixed with air, that way, it made you feel both cool and hot when your body came in contact with it. Hanamichi moaned, finally adjusting to the temperature. He looked up at Rukawa desperately and reached out. "Kaede..." 

Rukawa smiled at his beautiful redhead and bent down, catching Hanamichi's lips in his in a heated kiss, moving his head slightly to one side so his tongue could slip into Hanamichi's mouth wantonly. Hanamichi gasped at that, but his tongue pushed against Rukawa's, making their kiss hot and wet. When they parted, a thin line of saliva linked their lips together. 

Rukawa kissed Hanamichi on the mouth one more time then moved his head down. He licked Hanamichi's right nipple first, circling the hard nub with his tongue, then finally, he sucked it into his mouth, as his hand pinched and tweaked Hanamichi's left nipple. Hanamichi groaned and arched his body up, feeling as if his entire chest was on fire. He leaned his head back against the pillow and grasped the sheets, helpless to do anything else. Rukawa grinned against Hanamichi's nipple as his free hand traveled from the side of Hanamichi downwards. 

Hanamichi tensed when the hand passed by his crotch, making butterfly movements against the sides of his already too-sensitive sex, but instead of stopping there, Rukawa's hand went down further, and before Hanamichi could react, Rukawa felt for his anus, and when he found it, he pulled away from Hanamichi's nipple, sucked his fingers wet, and with a small smile, he inserted one finger in Hanamichi, making the redhead cry out in pain as he clasped Rukawa's arms hard, tears streaming down his face. 

Rukawa stayed still, his finger still inside Hanamichi, as he murmured, "Shhh...relax, Hana. It's okay. Just relax." And to help the frantic redhead relax, he gave a chaste kiss on Hanamichi's wet lips, then, moved his body down until he came face to face with Hanamichi's crotch. When Hanamichi saw what Rukawa had in mind, he lifted his body to tell him no, but Rukawa had already engulfed Hanamichi's entire length, making the redhead cry out and fall against the pillow, writhing and bending in different positions. Rukawa saw the look of pleasure of Hanamichi's face, and smiled to himself as he started bobbing his head up and down, and at the same time, inserting his finger even further. 

Hanamichi gasped and tensed at the same time. On one part, he felt pleasure, extreme pleasure, and one the other part, he felt pain, but it was slowly disappearing. Hanamichi relaxed even further, his body glistening with sweat. 

Rukawa extracted his finger then, making Hanamichi sigh with relief. He gave the redhead one long, soothing lick as he released Hanamichi's penis, making the redhead slump down on the bed, exhausted by the way he tensed his muscles and restrained himself. Rukawa lifted his body to align itself with Hanamichi's as he murmured, "Daijobu, Hana?" 

Hanamichi slowly opened his eyes, his face still red from embarrassment and his need. He looked into Rukawa's eyes and gave a small nod, feeling so tired and tight. Rukawa kissed the tip of Hanamichi's nose and said in a soft, comforting voice, "Hana, I will insert 2 more fingers in so that I won't get hurt you when I finally take you, okay?" 

_Take me?_ Hanamichi, being the innocent and simple minded man that he was, plus the fact that his mind was so confused and lost, didn't understand what Rukawa meant by that, but by the looks of it, this 'taking' part sounded hard and painful. 

Rukawa watched the expression of submission on Hanamichi's face, and felt his crotch harden even more. Patiently, he pushed his own needs away and concentrated on making Hanamichi enjoy his first time. Rukawa knew that Hanamichi was a virgin, and when he inserted his finger into Hanamichi's anus, it looked like he was in for a tight fit. Shaking his head out of his own thoughts, he got the lubricant from the table beside the bed and dipped 2 fingers in. Hanamichi watched Rukawa as he did this, his eyes fascinated with the way that silky, slimy liquid clung to Rukawa's fingers. He looked up at Rukawa ang gasped out, "Kaede, I-" Hanamichi stopped short again as he felt Rukawa insert two fingers this time in him. He choked back a cry and clenched his teeth together. 

Rukawa observed Hanamichi as he slowly pushed both his fingers in Hanamichi. He pushed further and further, and when he couldn't go any farther, he grabbed Hanamichi's head and kissed him passionately as he made a scissor like movement with his hands inside Hanamichi. 

Hanamichi moaned against Rukawa's mouth and gasped, feeling that movement in him. And when Rukawa stopped, he felt his chest rise and fall as he took in air. When he turned to look at Rukawa, opening his mouth to ask what was wrong, he felt Rukawa rub his fingers against something in him, and felt his entire body contract. 

Rukawa grinned. "Found it." He leaned in close to Hanamichi's face as he stroked that spot in Hanamichi over and over again, making Hanamichi moan as his limbs moved back. "Feel that, Hana? That's your G-spot." 

_G-spot?_ Hanamichi tried his best to move his body against Rukawa's fingers, all of a sudden forgetting about the pain and simply wanting Rukawa to touch him more. But when Rukawa took his fingers out, Hanamichi whimpered loudly. "Kaede!" 

Rukawa laughed and leaned in to kiss Hanamichi. "One more Hana, one more." And right after he said that, 3 fingers invaded Hanamichi's anus, making the redhead shout out so loud, it may have reached the hall downstairs. Rukawa didn't care. The look on Hanamichi's face was priceless. Mouth open, neck tilted back to it's limit, eyes squeezed shut, muscles tense, hands gripping Rukawa's arms like steel, and body arched. Rukawa felt his penis twitch with want, and hurriedly pushed his slicked fingers in, rubbing the G-spot as he did so. When Hanamichi couldn't take it anymore, the heat, the touch, and everything combined, he convulsed right there, spilling his seed on both his and Rukawa's abdomens. He slumped down on the bed and breathed in and out in a labored manner, his body still hot and shaky from the aftershocks. 

Rukawa smiled when he saw his lover come, and he slowly extracted his fingers from Hanamichi. When Hanamichi gave a low groan, Rukawa leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "It's not yet over, Hana." 

Hanamichi cracked his eyes open when he heard Rukawa say that, but before he could ask the raven haired man what he meant, Rukawa got both of his legs, spread them apart and hooked them above his shoulders, thus, lifting Hanamichi's pelvis off the bed. Hanamichi blinked, wondering what Rukawa meant to do, when his eyes landed on Rukawa's sex. He felt his heart stop and his eyes widen. 

Rukawa followed Hanamichi's gaze, then smiled apologetically at the redhead. "I know it's a bit big, but don't worry." 

_A BIT? And what do you mean don't worry?_ Hanamichi's mouth nearly dropped off. He didn't understand. What did Rukawa intend to do with his-you know. Then, it hit Hanamichi in the head. Rukawa had been inserting his fingers and stretching him for a while. Hanamichi thought it was some sort of way to get your lovers to come, but, it could also mean- 

Rukawa saw the nervous look in Hanamichi's eye as he glanced at Rukawa's sex again, his face paling slightly. _Do'aho...my innocent Hana..._ With that, he positioned his penis in front of Hanamichi's anus, and giving a final wink at Hanamichi's look, he pressed in, sucking his breath in when he felt Hanamichi's muscles clamp down on his already too sensitive cock. He clenched his teeth as he refrained himself from moving, noting the way Hanamichi tensed and cried out. 

Hanamichi gasped, moving his hips against Rukawa's sex. _Oh my God...he's so big!_ Hanamichi took in a deep breath and looked up at Rukawa's face. "Kaede...I don't think..." 

Rukawa shook his head and bent down, kissing Hanamichi on the lips. "Yes we can. Now, loop your arms around my neck and hold on, okay?" 

Hanamichi looked doubtful at first, but when he looked into Rukawa's eyes, he nodded slowly and lopped his hands around Rukawa's neck. When he did that, Rukawa straightened his frame and sat up, bringing Hanamichi with him. Hanamichi gasped as he was set in a sitting down position, his legs around Rukawa's waist, his arms still around the raven haired man's neck. Then, when he moved his body to relax, he moaned, half in shock, half in lust. Rukawa was still _in_ him, and Hanamichi was on top of him. 

Rukawa slowed his breathing forcing himself not to move against Hanamichi as he whispered urgently, "I want you to set the pace. Lift you body up slowly, and back down. Do this over and over again, okay?" 

Hanamichi nodded back tightly, feeling flustered and shaky. He slowly lifted his body, feeling Rukawa slowly disappearing from him. In fear, he moved back down swiftly, and in result, Rukawa entered him hard and fast. Hanamichi cried out and clung hard on Rukawa's back, his nails already drawing blood from the pressure he was applying. Rukawa clenched his teeth, forcing himself to breath as he felt Hanamichi tighten his hold around his shoulders. "Hana..." He gasped out. "Slowly...I'm going to be here, don't worry." 

Hanamichi shook his head, but, with Rukawa's kiss, he timidly bit his lip and rose again, his chest brushing Rukawa's as he did so. Just as slowly, he lowered himself on Rukawa, feeling the penis of the raven haired man going in deeper. Feeling his fears disappear, he did it again, marveling at how Rukawa seemed to enter deeper and deeper into him despite his size. When Rukawa finally hit the G-spot, Hanamichi cried out and set a faster pace. 

Rukawa groaned as he too moved in synch with Hanamichi, biting Hanamichi's shoulder as he did so. He didn't do it to hurt Hanamichi, but because he wanted to fill a part of himself. When he saw Hanamichi moan, he moved his head higher and caught Hanamichi's lips with his own, kissing the redhead heatedly. Hanamichi moved faster and faster, seeing spots dancing in front of his eyes. Rukawa knew that look. He moved his hand away from Hanamichi's hips towards where they were connected. He deliberately brushed Hanamichi's thigh to get the redhead's attention, and when he did, he grinned at the flushed face that looked down at him as he touched Hanamichi's anus. 

Hanamichi convulsed once again, spilling himself on Rukawa as his eyes rolled back and he fainted. Rukawa felt Hanamichi's muscles squeeze on his member tightly, and he too, spilled his seed inside the redhead, feeling exhausted and drowsy. He caught Hanamichi before he could fall on the bed, and with slow but deliberate movements, he pulled the comforter, place both his body and Hanamichi under it, and closed the light beside the beds. 

Rukawa, feeling tired and exhausted, sighed and place one arm under Hanamichi's body, pulling the redhead to face him as he wrapped his arms protectively around his lover. When Hanamichi snuggled closer to him, Rukawa felt like the happiest man on earth. He gently place a loving kiss on Hanamichi's forehead and whispered before closing his eyes, "I love you." 

Before he fell asleep, he felt Hanamichi shift beside him and murmur softly, "I love you too." 

**TBC**

Camry: Okay! This chapter's back! *blush* Oh man, up to now, I'm still not used to writing NC-17 parts. Was it bad? Okay? What? Anyway, hoped you liked it! I was kinda not inspired today, so I'm sorry if it sucks. But that aside, REVIEW please! Thanks! ^_^ 


	20. Chapter Twenty

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Twenty**

Death gave the barrier he created one last glare before stomping around the space given to him, muttering curses under his breath. He had always thought of Sendoh as the joker of the Underworld, but this joke has gone too far. Death could have sworn that he kept his diary in one of his best places wherein no one would know where it was. How did they find it? His mind was racing like nuts. If his guess was right, though Sendoh never told him the reason why they were doing this, they planned all this to sneak that mortal in. And maybe worse, made the young prince choose him as his bride. 

At that thought, Death clenched his teeth and kicked the barrier. How could he have been tricked so easily? Why didn't he bother to mind-read Sendoh? He was angry at himself and the rest of the world, and deciding that nothing would come out from his kicking and cursing. He sat down on one side of the barrier and rested his head on his knees, wanting a miracle to come. 

"I finally found you, Death-san." 

Death instantly lifted his head at that voice, and when he saw a figure coming towards him, he stood up from the ground, "Fujisawa-san!" 

Eri stopped in front of the cloaked figure and touched the barrier, a slight frown settling over her lips. She sighed, then gave Death a look. "Sendoh, right?" When Death was about to ask how she knew, Eri backed away and interrupted him. "I overheard the group talking. Oh, and by the way," She gave Death an angry glare. "Your prince chose a _mortal_ to be his bride." 

At that, Death paled considerably paler than his usual skin color. He bowed his head. "Satan's going to KILL me." 

Eri gave a grin at Death's expression and leaned in close again. "I have a little proposition that can give us both what we want, if you agree to it." 

Death looked up from the ground. "What is it?" 

Eri chuckled evilly and said, "I'll get you out of your barrier since I'm one of the strongest relatives to your kind, and in return," Her eyes hardened slightly. "You kill that mortal so that Kaede'd be mine." 

Death thought that over and asked, "But I am suppose to kill the mortal tomorrow, after the battle with the prince and the angel which is at noontime." 

"I figured that would happen, considering the situation we have in our hands." Eri muttered, but she waved her hand away. "But I don't want you to kill Hanamichi on the battle time. I want you to kill him before that time comes, so no one will be there to protect him." 

Death's eyes widened at that plan, but nonetheless, he gave a diabolical grin. "Done." 

Eri grinned back, then shifted her weight to the other foot. "So, how do I get you out?" 

* * * * * * 

Sendoh laughed happily as he watched Koshino stuff a piece of tissue paper up his nose to stop the bleeding. Right after Hanamichi and Rukawa's performance, Sendoh was the only one left conscious, while Mitsui fainted to the floor and Koshino was nose bleeding like nuts. He had to haul the 2 demons with him to his room so that the servants that would pass by wouldn't suspect a thing. Well, Mitsui had gone away right after he woke up, and as for Koshino, he still couldn't stop his nose from bleeding. 

Koshino groaned angrily. "This is all _your_ fault, Akira!" 

Sendoh raised his eyebrows in an innocent look. "Moi? Why's that?" He moved towards his lover and nuzzled his neck lovingly. "Come on, Hiro-kun...I know you enjoyed it." 

Koshino blushed and turned away. "It was suppose to be a PRIVATE thing." 

"Yeah well, they didn't know we were there." Sendoh replied. 

Koshino shook his head and sighed. "Hentai." 

Sendoh grinned and looked at the clock. "It's 11:45 pm...let's go to sleep." 

Koshino nodded and stood up. "Yeah." But when Sendoh didn't release him from his hold, Koshino gave the blue eyed demon a curious look. "What?" 

Sendoh grinned evilly. "I think the hentai part of me is still awake." 

"NANI?!" But before anything else, Sendoh pulled Koshino down with him towards the bed and let the hentai out. 

* * * * * * 

Kogure walked back and forth in his room impatiently, wondering what could have happened to Hanamichi and the rest. He had been up all night worrying that maybe they were caught or Hanamichi was killed. Both suggestions seemed imaginable enough. Kogure glanced at his clock. 7:10 am... He sat down on his bed and cradled his aching head, wishing that he had the power to see through a crystal ball or something. It was quite annoying to be patient at a time like this. 

Just then, a black vortex appeared in front of him, and he sat up instantly, his senses alert. When Mitsui came out, looking like he had run a mile or two, seeing that his face was red and his breathing was labored. "Hisashi!" Kogure shouted, coming to the aid of his lover. 

Mitsui gave a small nod to Kogure before falling on top of Kogure's bed, mumbling curses underneath his breath. 

Kogure's eyes widened in fear. "What? What happened?" 

Mitsui moaned in reply. 

Kogure was starting to worry. "What's wrong? Did you guys get caught? Did Death stop everything? Did Satan come back?" 

Mitsui shifted his body to face the wall and gave another moan as he rasped out, "Worse." 

Kogure's heart jumped as he shouted, "What?! Did they kill Hanamichi?!" 

Mitsui lifted his gaze a little bit at that, then gave a smile to Kogure. "Oh no, nothing like that." 

Kogure gaped at Mitsui's smiling face, then grounded out hysterically, "What?! What happened?" 

Mitsui shook his head then whispered faintly, "Damn Akira. He had to make us watch." 

"Huh?" Kogure fell back a that, the shook Mitsui's arm. "Watch what?" 

Mitsui groaned then added, "He made us watch Hanamichi and Kaede while they were doing _it_." 

Kogure gaped at that answer, then whacked Mitsui on the back of his head. "BAKA! I thought it was something SERIOUS!" 

"Nani?!" Mitsui looked up at his lover. "Believe me Min-kun, watching another pair of lovers doing it is something I would call _very_ serious." 

"BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA!!!!!!!" 

"Ouch! Hey, stop whacking me with that pillow! It hurts!" 

"WHO CARES?! BAKA!!!!!!!!!!!" 

* * * * * * 

Mrs. Kogure looked up from the newspaper she was reading in the dining table to the area above her head, which was Kiminobu's room. She vaguely heard shouting and things falling to the floor, combined with another persons cries, then smiled, shaking her head to return to her newspaper. Whatever was going on up there, it looked like she shouldn't but in. 

* * * * * * 

"Hana...Hana..." 

Hanamichi opened his eyes slowly, his senses still tired and unfocused. He closed his eyes then stretched, his leg bumping into another warm body. His movements stopped as he opened his eyes and focused. In front of him, staring back with an amused smile, was Rukawa, naked from waist up. Hanamichi stared at him for a while, then smiled softly, snuggling closer to Rukawa drowsily. "Hi..." 

Rukawa smiled at his beautiful redhead, his hair tousled over the pillow, his skin soft and pale against the contrast of the white sheets. Rukawa leaned in close and whispered, "How do you feel?" 

Hanamichi closed his eyes and hugged Rukawa to him, his head nestled under Rukawa's head. "Great..." 

Rukawa closed his eyes also and draped his arms around Hanamichi's body. As Hanamichi fell asleep, Rukawa shifted his gaze from his redhead to around the room, his senses alert and his body slightly tensed. Today was the day the battle for Hanamichi's life would occur. Even though the battle would be at noontime, as all fights against Death are scheduled, Rukawa couldn't help feeling that something was going to go wrong. Something not planned... 

Hanamichi shifted his body closer to Rukawa's, making the raven haired boy feel how warm and soft Hanamichi's body was. Rukawa sighed and settled back against the bed, his eyes slowly closing as he too drifted off to sleep, murmurind softly into Hanamichi's ear, "I love you." 

Hanamichi sighed against him and murmured just as softly, "I love you too." 

Rukawa smiled and fell asleep. There was nothing to worry about. 

Nothing at all. 

* * * * * * 

Eri watched from her crystal ball as the 2 men cuddled against each other, her face contorting into an ugly sneer. She watched as Rukawa fell asleep against Hanamichi's head, nuzzling the red hair before he dozed off. Eri balled her hand into a fist before. 

"Now, now, Fujisawa-san. There's no need to get vexed." 

Eri turned to look at Death, who was watching the crystal ball from behind her, then retorted, "I'm not vexed." She turned to look at the pair and glared. "I'm just impatient." 

Death cackled at that then turned to look at the redhead sleeping beside Rukawa. He grinned evilly. "Soon, Fujisawa-san. It will happen very soon." 

**TBC**

Camry: Hehe! Okay guys, change everything I have just written down on this page the last time. Just so you know, my dad won't be making a _thorough_ inspection, meaning, I can still put up and write NC-17 stuff secretly. Anyway, for this one, I'll be posting it by tomorrow, so if you're wondering where The Tensai's Devil is, go to the stories marked NC-17, okay? Sorry for the confusion. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. ^_^ REVIEW please. 


	21. Chapter Twenty One

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Twenty-One**

Hanamichi woke up that morning feeling both sore and great. Sore because his entire body felt all cramped up and tense, great because...Hanamichi blushed at the picture that passed before his eyes and sat up. He turned to look at his right and his eyes widened with confusion. Rukawa wasn't beside him. He turned to look around the room, wondering where the raven haired man could have gone, when his eyes landed on a small piece of paper on top of faded, jeans and a white shirt with a wanted sign on it. He cautiously picked up the paper and read the note written on it: 

_Hana, _

Sorry if I'm not by your side when you wake up. I was called to fix a certain problem in the East side of the Underworld. Hope you understand. I will be back around 9:30 or 10 am, so please have breakfast for the meantime. Put on the clothes I got from your room and go downstairs. I asked the servants to prepare a meal for you. 

Oh, and after that, when I come back, I think I want to re-enact our taking ritual, don't you? 

Forever yours, Kaede 

Hanamichi blushed at the suggestion Rukawa made, then smiled, shaking his head in exasperation. Looks like my entire body will be feeling sore and great all over again. Hanamichi sighed and place down the note, checking the clock on the far end of the corner. 9:10 am...Only a few more minutes or so before Rukawa returns. He considered staying in bed until Rukawa comes, but before he could lie back down, his stomach gave a long, loud cry. He blushed to himself then shrugged. Guess he had to eat breakfast after all. With that, he went into the right side bathroom to take a quick bath, came out rubbing his wet hair with a towel, place on his clothes, and stepped out of his room. 

Once he did that, however, the ground beneath his feet disappeared and he was swallowed into darkness. 

When he was gone, Rukawa emerged from the left side bathroom, wiping his still wet hair with a towel. He looked at the bed, hoping to find Hanamichi awake, but when he saw that it was empty, his eyes flew around the room in alarm. "Hana? HANA?!" No answer. 

He gritted his teeth and looked around, hoping to find a clue where Hanamichi could have gone. Just then, his eyes landed on the piece of paper on the bed. He snatched it up and read it with swift eyes. When he was done, he crumpled the paper and opened his drawer to find something to wear. He hoped that he wasn't too late. The handwriting on the note was distinctly Deaths. 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi gasped and backed up, feeling that the darkness around him was alive. "What the hell-?!" 

Everything in the darkness seemed to move. Hanamichi stood where he was, not wanting to come across anything undesirable. He clenched his fists as he shouted out, "Hey! What the hell is going on?!" No one answered him. Feeling helpless, he moved around the darkness little by little, hoping to find an exit of some sort. He turned around quickly when he heard someone breathing behind him. "Who's there?!" 

"Welcome, Sakuragi-san." 

Hanamichi turned around to face the owner of that voice, then his eyes widened. A young girl stood in front of him in what looked like an arena made out of diamonds. Torches of blue fire were positioned in what looked like an upside down star with a circle around it. Hanamichi stared at the girl with short hair for a while then demanded, "Where am I?" 

The girl laughed at that, her face twisted to an evil sneer. "My, my, aren't we rude. Let me introduce myself, since I already know who you are." She took one step towards the redhead and announced, "I am Eri Fujisawa, the true bride of Kaede." 

Hanamichi blinked at that and lowered his fist. "Nani?" 

Eri shrugged then laughed at Hanamichi's disturbed look. "That's right. _I'm_ the real bride. If you hadn't arrived and ruined everything, I could have been the chosen one! Hah! I practically made it known to the entire population that I was going to be the new queen, but instead, Kaede picks a MORTAL!" At that word, her sneer vanished and it was replaced with a dark look. "A stupid mortal got what every demon has wanted for themselves. How pathetic!" 

Hanamichi's eyes furrowed. "What the hell are you talking about? Why would every demon want Rukawa all to themselves?" 

"Quite a question indeed, mortal." 

Hanamichi stiffened at that airy voice and craned his neck to one side as Death passed him. Hanamichi still felt a strange feeling of fear pass over him when Death floated beside Eri and stood by her side, his scythe resting comfortable against his chest. "What are _you_ doing here?" 

Death cackled evilly at that. "I'm the very reason why you're here at the moment." He gave Hanamichi a strange look then recited: 

_"Hana, _

Sorry if I'm not by your side when you wake up. I was called to fix a certain problem in the East side of the Underworld. Hope you understand. I will be back around 9:30 or 10 am, so please have breakfast for the meantime. Put on the clothes I got from your room and go downstairs. I asked the servants to prepare a meal for you. 

Oh, and after that, when I come back, I think I want to re-enact our taking ritual, don't you? 

Forever yours, Kaede" 

When Death finished saying all this, he gave an amused chuckle at the look on Hanamichi's face. "Yes, I do love the way I write messages, don't you?" He gave Eri a grin and together, the two of them laughed malevolently. Their laughter echoed around the arena, making it sound like there were a thousand other people laughing with them. 

Hanamichi's eyes widened at that as he took a step back. "You..." He swallowed the lump that had formed on his neck and gasped out, "It was you..." 

"Hmmm, yes." Death said in a cocky tone, making Hanamichi falter. "Luckily you have never seen Kaede-sama's handwriting before. If you had, you could easily tell the difference." 

Hanamichi looked back and forth between the 2 in front of him then asked silently, "What are you going to do now?" 

Eri laughed out loud. "Are you that stupid or something?" She craned her neck to one side then said in a childish tone, "We are going to KILL you." 

Hanamichi backed up even more. _No good...this is no good..._

Death shook his head and murmured, "But before we let you die, I just have to test something." And in a flash, a dark form surrounded Hanamichi's body as Death reached out his hand. Hanamichi twisted and turned as excruciating pain traveled up his body. Wounds were inflicted in different areas as blood burst out, making Hanamichi cry out with each wound. This went on for about 30 seconds, and finally, Death lowered his hand, making Hanamichi fall to the ground, gasping in pain. Death shook his head and turned to Eri. "See? He isn't the one." 

Eri nodded back, a smile forming on her lips. "Good." 

Hanamichi raised his head up slightly to look at the two, his entire body pinned to the ground with an unseen force. "Wha-" He coughed out blood at that first try. He shook his head, licked his lips, and tried again. "What are you talking about?" 

Eri shrugged her slim shoulders at Death then murmured, "Well, I guess we can explain this thing to him since he _is_ going to die in a few minutes." 

Death smiled at her arrogant response then stepped forward. "Fine with me." He looked at Hanamichi in the eye and stated flatly, "You aren't the true bride of Kaede-sama." When Hanamichi opened his mouth to ask, Death interrupted him. "Almost every demon in the Underworld wants to marry Kaede Rukawa because once Kaede and the person's powers are combined, you can ask for a wish. That wish will come true no matter how impossible it may sound. The sign that the person chosen is right is when inflicted with pain, black wings with silver linings will erupt from that persons back. Obviously, you aren't the real bride because nothing happened to you." 

Hanamichi's head slumped to the ground. _Sou na..._

Eri stepped forward and snorted in disgust at Hanamichi's prone form. "Hah! See? This is why _I_ am the real bride of Kaede! And once I combine my powers with his, I will wish for universal domination!" She laughed evilly at that, then pointed her finger at the redhead. "Kill him NOW!" 

Death moved forward, grinning as he did so. "My pleasure." 

Hanamichi's eyes closed as he saw Death position himself over him, scythe raised. Hanamichi gave one small smile as he whispered, "Aishiteru...Kaede..." And then, he felt something hot and hard press against his chest, and everything went black. 

* * * * * * 

Kogure sat up straight from his bed, screaming as he did so. He grappled around, searching for something when Mitsui sat up and held him back. "Min-kun! MIN-KUN!" 

Kogure stopped screaming and fell back against Mitsui's warm chest, tears streaming down his face as he continued to sob, his hands covering his face. "No...Hanamichi-kun..." He turned to bury his face in Mitsui's neck and wept hard, the sunlight hitting his closed eyelids. 

Mitsui shook Kogure and held the angels' head up. "What's wrong, Min-kun? What happened?" 

Kogure bit his lip and whimpered, "He killed him..." 

Mitsui stiffened at that. 

Kogure lifted his tear stained face up to look at Mitsui's and whispered, "Death killed Hanamichi..." 

Mitsui became deadly white as he fell back against the wall, his arms slack around Kogure's torso. "No...how?..." 

"Hanamichi's soul..." Kogure cried silently. "Hanamichi's soul screamed..." With that, Kogure cried out loudly, his entire body shaking furiously, his hands grasping Mitsui's arms so tight that the arm turned red. 

Mitsui leaned his head back against the wall, and when he closed his eyes, tears fell from them as well. He hugged Kogure's body close to his, wanting to think that this was all just some kind of nightmare. But it wasn't. This was reality. The fact that Kogure's hands on his arms hurt was proof enough. Mitsui banged his head hard against the wall and gritted his teeth. "No..." 

_Please let his be a nightmare..._ And it started to rain. 

* * * * * * 

Sendoh and Koshino bolted up from the bed and looked around, looking for the source of the scream they had heard. Sendoh turned to Koshino then sighed. "You heard it too?" 

Koshino nodded, shaking slightly. "Yeah. What was it?" 

Sendoh shrugged at that. "I don't know, but..." Sendoh pulled the covers away from his body and stood up, ruffling his hair as he did so. "I feel weird." 

Koshino nodded in agreement. He looked at the crystal beside his bed as he stood up, then promptly fell to the ground, his mouth open as he shouted, "AKIRA!" 

"Eh?" Sendoh turned and saw his lover covering his mouth with his hand as tears fell from his eyes. Sendoh came to him and asked out, "What? What's wrong?" When Koshino didn't answer, Sendoh followed his gaze and felt his mind shut down. The crystal ball was... 

...destroyed. 

Sendoh shook his head in disbelief. "No...it can't be..." 

Koshino shook his head and held on to Sendoh's shoulders. "Hanamichi-san..." 

Sendoh shook his head and continued staring at the crystal ball, dumbfounded. "Sou na...he can't be..." But then, the crystal ball was the one Koshino created for Hanamichi so that they could see where the redhead was every time. Now that it was broken...Sendoh clenched his fists and cried as well. 

_Doshite?_

* * * * * * 

Kaede stood under the rain when heard that anguished cry. His wings spread out as he place himself in stealth mode, hovering high above the ground. Cars passed by, humans came and went, not noticing the floating figure that was slowly beginning to appear. Rukawa could care less if anyone would see him. He recognized that scream all too well... 

Thunder and lightning appeared at some distance away from him. Rukawa lifted his gaze to look at that area, his face masked with tears. He clenched his right fist tightly as sobs threatened to pour out of his mouth. 

_Hana..._

As he thought of that name, a soft voice floated to his ear and whispered lovingly, _Aishiteru...Kaede..._

With that, he spread his wings to the limit, looked at the clouds over his head, and shouted as he cried, "HANA!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

_Sayonara...Kitsune..._

**TBC**

Camry: *sniff* Awww...poor Kaede...plus, Hanamichi is dead...*sob* Ah! But anyway, don't worry! I told you, the ending will be okay. Oh, and for those who didn't understand where Chapter 19 was, well, it's back! Hey! REVIEW this chapter, okay? Thanks! ^_^ 


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Twenty-Two**

Death snickered evilly as he extracted his scythe from the body of the mortal and saw the light in his eyes disappear. Death shrugged at that then watched as the body slowly faded away into nothing, leaving only blood where it once lay. "You know, I think now would be a good time to find Kaede-sama, Fujisawa-san." Death mumbled. 

Eri smiled and nodded determinedly. "Yes, I think so too." At that answer, she looked up to the ceiling and thought to herself, _Finally Kaede, you will be mine._

Death grinned at the young demon and together, they both walked into a portal created by Death and disappeared, not seeing balls of light hovering over the blood of Hanamichi. The white orbs floated about for a while, then, they landed on the floor, rubbed themselves on Hanamichi's blood, and faded away, leaving nothing behind. 

* * * * * * 

Kogure looked at Rukawa who was currently staring off into space as Mitsui wiped his wet hair with a fresh towel. Everyone was gathered around his room. Sendoh and Koshino were on the opposite side of the room, silent and doubtful about the turn of events. Mitsui was still in shock over what Kogure told him that morning, but he pushed his own feelings aside to assist his cousin. Kogure was still shaken from the scream of Hanamichi's soul, but his pain didn't even compare to Rukawa's. Rukawa didn't have _anything_ in his eyes. They were dead, lifeless, as if losing Hanamichi meant losing himself. Kogure understood this very well, but he was also getting worried for the young raven haired man. He hadn't eaten since Mitsui found him under an oak tree in the park around 10:20 am, and now, it was nearly 11 am and still no response from Rukawa. Kogure was getting desperate, but he had patience. 

Mitsui, however, didn't. He stopped wiping Rukawa's head and murmured, "Come on Kaede. Snap out of it." 

Rukawa didn't answer. He continued to stare at the wall of Kogure as if it was the most fascinating thing he has ever seen. 

Mitsui threw the towel to the ground and grabbed Rukawa's shoulders, shaking him roughly. "Kaede! Can you hear me?!" He slapped Rukawa hard in the face. When nothing happened, he continued slapping the pale faced boy over and over again until his cheeks were as red as tomato. Mitsui cursed and hauled Rukawa up to his feet. "Snap out of it!" He had obviously lost his temper. 

"Yamero, Hisashi!" Sendoh ordered with a cold voice, stepping up to his brother to refrain him from doing anything else to the raven haired boy. He clamped a hand over Mitsui's arm and stated, "Let him be." 

Mitsui cursed under his breath and dropped Rukawa to the bed, moving to the door right after he did so. He slanted his body against the doorframe and snorted, angry at Rukawa for not being able to react to any of their questions, and angry at himself for not being able to do anything. He slammed his fist hard against the wall beside the door, his teeth clenched tight. 

Kogure looked at his lover, then back at Rukawa, who, despite having been thrown on the bed angrily, managed to sit up straight. Kogure bit his lips when an idea passed through his brain, an idea that would go against everything he believed in, but he pushed all fears away as he stood in front of Rukawa, his voice shaking slightly. "Rukawa-kun?" 

Rukawa didn't respond. 

Kogure smiled softly at him then continued. "A...ano, I think I may know a way on how to save Hanamichi." 

Everyone looked at him at that, even Rukawa. The light in his eyes slowly appeared, but he didn't still didn't say anything. Mitsui, Sendoh, and Koshino, however, looked like they were ready to explode, wanting to know what Kogure had in mind. 

Kogure breathed in deeply as he went on. "When a good person dies, he or she loses their memory when they are in the area before entering Heaven. This process is sort of long, so I think Hanamichi still hasn't entered Heaven." Kogure closed his eyes for a while, then stood up straight. "I can go to Heaven now, search for Hanamichi, and go against the other angels to get Hanamichi to come back to earth, however, I'm not too sure about what may take place once that happens." 

Rukawa looked up at the spectacled boy and murmured softly, "Now?" 

Kogure nodded. "Now." 

The light in Rukawa's eyes finally came back at full blast. He smiled softly at Kogure and whispered, "Arigatou." 

Kogure smiled back at him. "Welcome back, Rukawa-kun." 

Rukawa seemed startled at that reply, but nonetheless, he looked at everyone around the room. When his eyes landed on Mitsui, he made an apologetic movement with his hands. "Sorry for making you worry." 

"It's okay." Mitsui shifted his attention from his cousin to Kogure, looking very worried. "Can we come with you, Min-kun?" 

Kogure looked back at him then shook his head slowly. "As much as I would want you to come, the angels would sense your presence easily from afar. It is not advisable since there are over a 100 angels positioned around the area Hanamichi is in." 

Mitsui cursed under his breath and fell back against the door, his face etched with fear and worry for his lover. 

Kogure gave him a soft, encouraging smile, then turned seriously to Rukawa. "Remember this, Rukawa-kun. I promise you, I will try my best to bring Hanamichi back, even if it means risking my life." Mitsui looked like he was going to resent that, but Kogure continued. "Hanamichi is a very close friend of mine. He is also one of the best players in the basketball club. I will not allow him to die like this." He turned to face Mitsui and added. "And I promise you, I'll try my best to come back." 

Mitsui took a step forward his lover, opening his mouth to shout something, but it was too late. White light erupted from Kogure's chest and spread out. Everyone closed their eyes for a few seconds, and when the light disappeared, they cautiously opened their eyes to look at the place Kogure stood. Mitsui slumped to his feet and hugged himself, tears falling from his eyes. 

Kogure was gone. 

* * * * * * 

_Mezame..._

_Nani?_ Hanamichi slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was standing in what looked like a long, beautiful meadow filled with beautiful red roses. The sky was dark blue, as if it was going to rain, but that color mixed with the red roses looked surreal. Hanamichi looked around and spotted an angel coming towards him. Silently, he asked, "Where am I?" 

"In the area between Heaven and Earth, Hanamichi." The angel came up to Hanamichi's side and reached out for the redhead. He pulled Hanamichi towards his tall, lithe body and hugged him. Hanamichi closed his eyes, the feeling of warmth overpowering his senses as the angel continued. "We call it Zion. My name's Raphael, and I am here to guide you to Heaven." 

Hanamichi smiled up at him. "Okay." 

Raphael smiled back, already fond with the redhead. "Okay, now let us go." Raphael held out one long arm and moved his hand in a fast movement. A hole connected to another dimension appeared before their eyes. 

Hanamichi's mouth gaped open at that and turned to look up at Raphael. "Is that Heaven?" He asked in a child-like voice, his eyes innocent and free. 

Raphael nodded. "Yes." 

Hanamichi extracted himself from Raphael's arms and walked towards the whole, seeing nothing but bright light, however, beautiful music floated in his ears, images of people and places entered his eyes, and a comfortable feeling settled over his heart. He was about to enter the vortex when all of a sudden, he stopped, his eyes wide with curiosity when a face passed over his eyes. 

Raphael noticed the boy's actions and stepped forward. "Hanamichi?" 

Hanamichi looked at his hands, wondering who that person was, when that face passed over his eyes again. He backed away from the vortex and held his head as images started pouring in, all of them having that person in each picture. He felt like his mind was about to explode. He sank down to his knees and cried out. 

Raphael came forward and took Hanamichi in his arms. He held the boy gently and asked, "What is it?" 

"A...boy..." Hanamichi gasped out. 

Raphael stared at Hanamichi strangely. This process never happened with any of the other souls who died. Wanting to end Hanamichi's suffering, he pulled him up as he asked, "What boy?" 

Hanamichi looked at him with large eyes as he murmured, "A boy...with black hair, but...it looked like it was also green..." Hanamichi looked up at the sky and saw the face smiling back at him. H continued breathlessly. "He has a pale face, blue eyes, and..." Hanamichi's eyes widened when he saw the entire body of the person he was describing. He continued to stare as he whispered, "Black...wings..." 

Raphael paused at that and glanced down at Hanamichi. The souls weren't suppose to remember _anything_ from their past life when they are in Zion, but he...remembered a devil. Fearfully, he looked at Hanamichi's face and said, "Come. Let us enter Heaven." 

"No." 

Raphael blinked and stared at the redhead. "What? Why?" 

Hanamichi pulled away from the angel, his eyes looking around the entire area. "Because...he needs me..." 

Raphael stood up straight and stared at Hanamichi in wonder. "What?" 

Hanamichi turned to face him and said, "He needs me...that boy needs me..." 

Raphael shook hi head at that and grabbed Hanamichi's hand roughly. "Hanamichi, he is a DEVIL. They don't need anyone, they don't care about anyone. That is why we angels must fight against them because they are bad." He said this all as if he was explaining it to a little boy. He turned around and started walking towards the vortex. "Now, let us enter Heaven." 

"NO!" Hanamichi furiously struggled to get Raphael to release his hand. "He needs me! I can't leave him!" 

"Hanamichi, go inside now." Raphael ordered in a soothing voice. 

"Stop right there, Raphael." 

Raphael and Hanamichi stilled at that voice and turned their heads to the side. There, standing at the edge of the garden of roses, was Kogure, his wings spread out, his body cloaked in white, and his hair tousled by the wind. Hanamichi stared at him. _I know him...but who is he...?_

Kogure walked forward, smiling at Hanamichi as he did so. "Hello Hanamichi. Good thing I came right on time." 

Raphael glared at Kogure. "What are you doing here, Kiminobu? You are suppose to be on earth." 

"Oh, I just came to get Hanamichi and we'll both return to earth." He held out his hand towards Hanamichi and said, "Hanamichi, come here. We are going back home." 

Hanamichi tried to go to the other angel, feeling that he was suppose to, when Raphael tugged him back. Raphael place Hanamichi behind his back and whispered, "Has the devil possessed you, Kiminobu? You know it is against the law to bring back a dead soul to the living." 

"Yes, I know that." Kogure retorted impatiently. "But I also know that Hanamichi is not supppose to die yet. He wasn't suppose to open that book and read the incantation, but he did, and Death killed him. Remember, the future is undecided, but the day of their death is always true." 

Raphael shook his head. "This is reality, Kiminobu. Accept it, or pay the price." 

Kogure whipped out his sword and held it in front of him. "I anticipated this." 

Raphael glanced at Kogure hard, then sighed. "You were one of the best angels I have ever met." Then, he lifted his hand to the sky and added, "But now, I ban you from Heaven." A white light escaped his hand and moved towards Kogure. Hanamichi watched as Kogure gasped in pain, tears rolling down his face. When the light disappeared, Kogure stood there in mortal clothes, still holding the sword, his wings gone. Raphael shrugged. "Even though you have that sword, you have no power. This is the end." 

Hanamichi didn't understand what was going on, but when he saw 50 angels fly down towards Kogure, swords aimed, he jumped away from Raphael's side and shouted, "ABUNAI!!!!" 

But it was too late. All 50 angels dove straight at Kogure, and a blinding white force exploded from that area, sending Hanamichi reeling back as hot wind blew against him. When the wind subsided, he opened his eyes, and felt his mind become blank as he stared. 

Kogure...was lying face down on a puddle of blood. 

**TBC**

Camry: Okay, for those who don't know the meaning of 'mezame', it means the Awakening. ^_^ Got that from Angel sanctuary. Anyway, DON'T WORRY! I told you that the ending will be a GOOD one, so don't worry! ^_^ Just enjoy the flow of the story. Anyway, that aside, what did you think? REVIEW please! ^_^ Thank you! 


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Twenty-Three**

Hanamichi stared at the still body of Kogure as he slowly walked towards him with uneasy steps, his face masked with sweat, his eyes watering. "Sou na..." He whispered to himself over and over again. When he was standing over Kogure, he knelt down over the boy and prayed that he wasn't dead. Carefully, he took the upper body of Kogure, one hand supporting the head, and turned it around to face him. When he heard Kogure groan because of the pain, he felt his chest expand. He stroked Kogure's quivering cheek and gasped out happily, "Yokatta! Yokatta ne..." 

Kogure lifted one eyelid up, the one that wasn't matted with blood, and stared back at Hanamichi's eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but instead, he choked out a mouthfull of blood, grimacing slightly at the pain and metallic taste. 

Hanamichi held him carefully, hoping that the flow of blood would stop. "Shikarishite, Kiminobu-kun..." Hanamichi didn't know the full name of the boy he held in his arms, nor does he remember seeing him before, but once that name escaped his lips, visions of basketball games passed through his head, him and this boy playing together, talking, smiling...then, he heard the Hanamichi in his mind announce, 'MEGANE-KUN!' 

But the person he called replied tiredly, 'My name's Kiminobu Kogure, Sakuragi-kun.' 

"Kiminobu...Kogure..." Hanamichi whispered silently. Then, he looked down at Kogure's face and added, "My name's...Hanamichi...Sakuragi..." 

Kogure's eyes lit up at that as he blinked in disbelief at Hanamichi. _Masaka!_ He knew that every soul that would enter Heaven loses his or her memory when they are in Zion, but Hanamichi...how did he remember his name? Kogure didn't know how, but before he could ponder on it, Raphael's frame loomed over both him and Hanamichi. Hanamichi stiffened with fear, but there was also anger in his eyes as he whipped his head around to glare at Raphael. 

Raphael looked down at Hanamichi with weary eyes. "Now, now, there is no place for anger in Heaven." 

"You almost killed one of my teammates." Hanamichi replied coldly as he place Kogure's head down gently on the ground and lifted his body up to stand before Raphael. Boldly, he retorted to the angel, "I think that's reason enough for me to be angry." 

Raphael drew back one step, his face contorted into an angry yet scared look. "Impossible...do you remember EVERYTHING?" 

Hanamichi shook his head at that, his gaze never wavering from Raphael's face. "No. I don't remember everything, but it seems that little by little, they are coming back to me." Hanamichi took one step forward, sending Raphael back. "Now, my turn to ask a question. Why'd you try to kill Kogure?" 

Raphael, seeing that over a hundred angels were watching them at the moment, held his ground as he grounded out, "The word that you should pay attention to in your question is the word 'try'. True, he deserves to die because he hasn't interfered with my work and the cycle of life, which is against the law in our book. He is one of the best angels we've got, I spared his life for the time-being." 

"Yours won't be spared at all." 

Everyone around the area had somewhat similar reactions to that cold statement. Raphael's eyes widened to size of saucers as he took an uncertain step back, Kogure's hand twitched from its lax position. The 50 angels around the area all drew out their swords and held it in front of them. Hanamichi turned away from Raphael, saw who spoke up, and felt his heart stop. Only one thought managed to pass through his brain. _Omae..._

Rukawa stared back at Hanamichi with disbelief, his chest rising and falling as he took in his beautiful redhead. _I found you...you're okay..._ Tears threatened to pour out of his eyes, but he held it in when he saw Hanamichi gazing at him quizzically, an expression of recognition crossing his face. 

Hanamichi felt his mind pound when he stared into the raven haired man's blue eyes. He felt the same pain jab his brain and he fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands. "Itai!" 

"Hanamichi!" Rukawa called out, but then, before he could move forward, he saw black fire cross his path. He turned to look at his side and gasped. 

Mitsui's aura...was out of control. 

Sendoh and Koshino were beside the dark haired boy, but when they noticed the black fire slowly becoming bigger and bigger, they started to back up. Rukawa cursed and stepped in front of his cousin, reaching out to touch him. But as his fingers were about to graze Mitsui's shoulder, electricity came from the black fire surrounding Mitsui's body and hit Rukawa's hand. Rukawa hissed and drew back, fearing that Mitsui has lost his mind. 

Mitsui, however, didn't care at all. All he could see was Kogure, lying down on a bed of roses, blood coating his body. He moved his crazed look to Raphael and took a step forward. "Are you the one who did this to him?" 

Raphael held his ground and replied calmly, "Aa." 

"DIE YOU ASSHOLE!!!!!" Mitsui shouted as he flew up to the air and drew out his scythe, the blade made out of black fire. He aimed it towards Raphael and flew down, his speed increasing by the second. Raphael drew out his sword and blocked Mitsui, but in turn, their powers turned into what looked like a bomb, covering them both in smoke. Mitsui wasted no time and flew back up, his scythe ready. "Get ready to die, you bastard!" 

Raphael shook his head and place his sword back on his side. He sighed. "The walk to Heaven should have ended an hour ago. You're making me late." 

Mitsui drew his scythe back and shouted out his pent up frustration as he neared Raphael again. "I'll kill you for killing Kogure!!!!!!!" 

Hanamichi stepped forward and shouted, "But he isn't dead yet!" 

Mitsui paused halfway at that, his entire body arched in an attack position. Raphael stood still as he observed the demon in front of him, waiting for what may happen next. Koshino held Sendoh's arm tightly as Sendoh stared seriously at his brother. Rukawa took a step forward, noticing that Mitsui wasn't moving an inch in the air. 

Hanamichi scratched his cheek, question marks popping out of his head. _Eh? Did I say something wrong?_

Mitsui, who was still in the very same position as before, grounded out, "Wha-what did you just say, Hanamichi?" 

"He isn't dead yet." Hanamichi repeated. 

Mitsui's face scrunched up slightly. "Huh?" 

"I. Said. He. Isn't. Dead. Yet." Hanamichi said slowly. Then, he added, "He's just resting." 

Mitsui was still and silent again. Actually, almost everyone was. No one moved, no one said anything, nothing. Finally, Mitsui turned his head to face Hanamichi, his expression unreadable- 

-then flew down towards the redhead, strangling him by neck. 

Mitsui screamed angrily at Hanamichi, "Kono baka yaro!!!!! Do you know how scared I was?!!!! Why the hell didn't you tell me?!! BAKA!!!!" 

Hanamichi struggled to breath as he shouted back, "Why the hell are you mad at ME?! You didn't ask me anyway!!! Besides, who are you?!!" 

Mitsui suddenly released Hanamichi, this, dropping the redhead to the ground. Hanamichi winced and rubbed his neck, his butt still stinging from the impact as Mitsui glanced down at him, then remembered about the memory loss thing. He waved a hand in front of Hanamichi then smiled. "Oh yeah! Hi! My name's Hisashi Mitsui. Nice to meet you, Hanamichi-kun!" 

Hanamichi stared at him strangely. "What the heck? One minute, you're trying to kill me, the next, you're introducing yourself. What gives?" 

Mitsui shrugged at that then, turned around. "Forget it." Then, he spotted Kogure a few feet behind Hanamichi and ran to him. When he got down on his knees beside Kogure, he cradled the head as if it was something so fragile. When Kogure opened his eyes slightly, Mitsui gave a relieved sigh. He smiled down at his lover. "Good thing you're still alive. I thought that you were gone back there." 

Kogure smiled tiredly as he spoke softly. "I heard." Then, his expression grew serious. "And it's a good thing that you didn't go on with your battle against Raphael. You could have been killed." 

Mitsui's eyebrows rose as he asked, "What do you mean?" 

Kogure closed his eyes as he continued to speak softly. "Look at his right hand." When Mitsui looked at the angel's hand, it was tucked at his back, the two fingers intertwined with each other. Kogure, sensing that he was done looking, continued. "That is a sign that would mean an assault of all 100 angels on you and only you. Most of them are hidden, judging from their aura, but they are there nonetheless. All Raphael has to do his make the sign and all of them will destroy you. We may be angels, Hisashi, but we also kill if needed." 

Mitsui gulped, silently thanking Hanamichi for shouting at him. Then, he noticed the wounds all over Kogure's body and hissed. "Damn! We need to get you out of here!" 

Hanamichi stared at the pair behind him, feeling slightly envious. Even the second pair behind the two, though they weren't in a position that could be called affectionate, they seemed to support each other mentally. Hanamichi sighed and rubbed his backside. When he saw black boots in front of him, he lifted his gaze and felt his mind throb again when his eyes clashed with the raven haired man's. 

Rukawa stepped forward, hesitantly reaching out for Hanamichi. 

Hanamichi saw what was coming and felt his insides become warm. But before the other man could touch him, pain engulfed his brain as he cried out, holding his head tightly in his hands, he screamed when it felt like his brain was being crushed. 

Rukawa knelt down beside his redhead and touched Hanamichi's arm. But when he did that, Hanamichi gave a loud, painful scream that seemed to bounce around the area. Rukawa drew his hand back, and when he did that, Hanamichi's scream died away. He stared in disbelief at his lover, then turned angrily at Raphael. "What the hell is going on?! Why can't I touch him?!" 

Raphael smiled a self-satisfied smile at that question, then gave a small laugh. "Isn't it obvious, Rukawa-kun?" Rukawa didn't know how he knew who he was, but continued to listen when the angel opened his mouth again. "He cannot bear to have you touch him." 

"Why?" Rukawa asked as he clenched his fists tightly. 

Raphael shrugged indifferently then explained. "The soul of a person loses his or her memory once they come to Zion, however, if they see or feel the person that they loved in their past life, they feel extreme pain. The more pain that person feels, the more it signifies the love that person had for the other person." Raphael crossed his arms over his chest and stated, "In laments terms, you will hurt him if you are near him. Even if you do bring him back to earth." 

Rukawa stared in disbelief at Raphael, his mind suddenly dead. _I...can't be with Hanamichi...anymore?..._

Hanamichi bit his lip to draw his attention away from the pain as he slowly opened his eyes. He stared at the raven haired man standing above him, his heart aching suddenly when he saw a look of despair pass over his face. Hanamichi gasped when pain coursed through his body again, but he pushed it aside as he struggled to stare at the man. _I know you...but I can't remember..._ Then, not being able to take the pain anymore, Hanamichi blacked out and fell on the ground. 

Rukawa heard the sharp intake of breath from his lover and turned just in time to see Hanamichi faint and fall back. His arms encircled Hanamichi's lithe frame, his heart pounding hard against his chest when he felt heat seep through Hanamichi clothes. _He's alive..._ Rukawa didn't care about anything anymore. Hanamichi was alive and in his arms. That's all that mattered to him. 

Raphael snapped his fingers suddenly. Rukawa forced his eyes to open as he saw over a hundred angels appear from the sky and surround them. Mitsui held on to Kogure's battered body, Sendoh dragged Koshino with him towards the center, and Rukawa lifted Hanamichi's body into his arms. The angels came closer and closer, their swords drawn. Raphael's voice cut through the rising tension. "Sorry, but the time has come to end this. I need Hanamichi to enter Heaven, and since all of you demons are intruding, you will all have to die." 

Rukawa backed up until he was near Mitsui. Sendoh did the same, and soon, they were surrounded by the angels. Sendoh cursed and looked around. "Kaede, we won't be able to fly out of here." 

"I know that." Rukawa gritted out. 

Mitsui looked around, his heart racing when he saw the angels were about 15 feet away. "Damn! What do we do?" 

12 feet. 

Kogure slowly opened his eyes and whispered, "Hi-Hisashi..." 

Mitsui looked down at his lover and shook his head. "No Min-kun. Don't talk." 

"Hisashi." Kogure pressed on, determined to have his say. "Hold both Rukawa and Sendoh's hands. Do it." 

Mitsui was confused at first, wondering what Kogure had in mind, but when he looked up and saw the angles only about 8 feet away, he grabbed Rukawa and Sendoh's hands tight. "Done!" 

Kogure smiled and closed his eyes. Mitsui feared that Kogure may have fallen asleep, but then, he saw a star with a circled around appear on top of their heads. Mitsui stared at it for a while, wondering what it was, when he remembered the sign form his book. The transportation spell! That usually _killed_ someone before they could use it! He turned to look back down at Kogure. "YAMERO!!!!" 

But it was too late. In a flash, the white light surrounded their body, and when it disappeared, so did they. 

**TBC**

Camry: Ah...finally...I finished this chapter...oh and by the way...I DIDN'T KILL KOGURE!!!!! Oh, and if you're wondering about Hanamichi's soul being brought back to Earth and all that, well, let's just say that the soul has it's own body. So even though your first body was destroyed, you still have a second body. Of course, not many can return to Earth after being brought to that area between earth and Heaven, sooo...there! Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^ REVIEW please! Thanks! 


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Twenty-Four**

"NANI?!" Satan's voice boomed around the hall, making everyone stop dead in their tracks to stare at him. Satan rose slightly from his chair to look down at Death, his fist shaking with fury. "I don't believe this! I entrusted everything to you so that my son would marry a _demon_, and instead, you made him marry a MORTAL!" Death swung his hand around, hitting the black vase at his side and sent it crashing to the ground, the shards moving in every direction. However, Satan was too furious to notice this as he pointed a finger down at Death's cowering form. "Are you deliberately trying to make me kill you?!" 

"No, your great!" Death cried out, lifting his head up from the ground. "It's just that I didn't anticipate Kaede-sama's cousins to interfere with the operation! Please forgive me!" 

Satan grabbed the neck of Death and hauled him up to the air. Death struggled to breath, but Satan didn't give him a chance to talk. "Forgive you?! For destroying the reputation that I have built over centuries because of your mistake?!" Satan lifted his free hand to the air and a huge black orb appeared, crackling with the energy inside. Death struggled even more when his eyes caught that, but Satan didn't back down. "You will die for your stupidity." 

"Chotto matte kudasai, Satan-sama." 

Satan paused at that and inclined his head to the side. Eri came out from the shadows, walking with small but determined steps towards the raging God. Satan glared at her and turned back to Death, the black orb still ready in his hand. "If you want to discuss something, we'll do that later. I am busy at the moment, as you can see." 

"But what I have to discuss with you includes Death-san over there." Eri said in a sickeningly sweet voice. She stepped forward until she was close enough to touch Satan. "Please?" 

Satan cursed and threw Death to one side, obviously having lost the last drop of patience in his body. Death fell hard on the ground and stayed still for a while, breathing in and out rapidly to fill his lungs. 

Eri nodded approvingly and turned to face Satan, who sat down again on his throne. "Satan-sama, it is true that Kaede has married a mortal, namely Hanamichi Sakuragi, demo, Death and I have killed him. In this case, doesn't that mean that Kaede can remarry?" 

Satan snorted and waved his hand about. "My son and his comrades went to get that mortal back from Zion. They could have succeeded. That means that Hanamichi is back and alive." 

Eri nodded her head. "True, you great, however, Hanamichi is in his _second_ body. Kaede married the Hanamichi who was in the _first_ body, so it still means that the mortal Kaede married is dead. And also, if my research is right," Eri drew closer and said in a soft, secretive voice, "The new body of that mortal won't be able to stand Kaede because the one person Hanamichi loved will cause the most pain in his new body." 

Satan thought that over for a few seconds, his head slowly cooling down. When he had heard the news about his son being married to a mortal, he burst right then and there, throwing things around his room, setting a few servant's on fire, and when Death came, well...that's how he was. He never bothered to think of an alternative option. He glanced down at Eri with serious eyes and murmured, "In other words, _you_ will approach my son and ask him to marry you, since he won't be able to be near that mortal anymore." 

Eri smiled evilly and nodded her head. "Correct. And I will make a deal with him. If he marries me, Death will not kill that mortal and let him live until he dies of old age. But, if he refuses," She ran her fingers thrown her hair and sighed dramatically. "Then the battle at noon, which is 45 minutes away, will ensue." 

Satan mused over this silently, his fingers tapping the arms of his chair. Finally, he lifted his gaze towards Eri and nodded. "Fine. Negotiate with him." Then, he turned to Death and muttered dangerously, "And you better kill that mortal if he refuses. Understood?" 

Both Eri and Death stood up straight and bowed. "Hai, your great." 

Satan cursed under his breath and stood up, walking towards his room. Many servants backed away from him as he passed by, but he didn't pay any attention to him. His mind was still fixed on the plan Eri presented to him a while ago. When he passed the picture that consisted of him, Kaede, and his late wife, he stared at his wife longingly, a sincere look crossing his face. Then, he shook his head and turned away, his fists clenched tight at his sides. 

If history repeats itself, it will only bring suffering. This was the greatest lesson Satan has learned in his life, and he planned to keep that feeling of suffering away from both him and his son at all costs. 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi slowly opened his eyes, feeling that someone was calling him. But when his eyes focused around his surroundings, he didn't see anyone. He looked around one more time, feeling that his head was hit by a truck, and fell back against the pillows. He felt drained, both physically and mentally. He really couldn't remember how he got to where he was now. All he could remember was seeing Kogure lying on the ground, blood around his body, a boy named Mitsui cradling Kogure, and a raven haired boy- 

Suddenly, pain erupted from his brain again. He gasped and rolled on the bed, trying his best to get rid of the pain. When the image of that blue eyed devil disappeared from his mind, so did the pain. He took in shallow breaths, trying to ease the pain that continued to throb inside his head. 

Just then, the door opened, and Sendoh stepped in, holding a tray with food on it. He spotted Hanamichi and smiled. "Hey there Hanamichi. It's good to see that you're up." 

Hanamichi watched the boy through half opened eyes then whispered through his parched throat, "Who are you?" 

Sendoh smiled and place the tray by Hanamichi's bedside table. "My name's Akira Sendoh. I'm the stepbrother of Mitsui. Remember him?" 

"Mitsui...yes. I remember." Hanamichi replied, nodding back at the other boy. 

Sendoh smiled, then his smile wavered, and finally, dropped. Hanamichi stared at the other man, wondering what was wrong, when Sendoh spoke up again. "Hanamichi..." Sendoh looked up and caught Hanamichi's gaze. "Do...you remember anything from before? Anything or anyone?" 

Hanamichi shook his head. "Sorry, but no. Whenever I see a person, images or conversations flash through my head with the person that I'm facing presently." 

"I...I see." Sendoh moved his head slightly to one side. "Do...you remember...Ka-Kae..." 

"Eh?" Hanamichi lifted his head and blinked innocently, wondering what Sendoh was trying to say. 

Sendoh opened his mouth again, when a knock stopped him. He shook his head and smiled at Hanamichi. "Nandemo nai." He gave a wave to the bewildered redhead, then opened the door, seemed surprised at who was there, then spoke softly and rapidly with the person. Before Hanamichi could see who was out there, Sendoh closed the door and stood still. Hanamichi blinked, staring at Sendoh's taught form curiously. But, he didn't say anything. Finally, Sendoh turned around and faced Hanamichi, a serious look on his face. He walked up to the redhead as he said, "Hanamichi, a special person outside wants to talk to you, however, I must blindfold you." 

Hanamichi's eyebrows rose. "Why?" 

Sendoh smiled and pulled out a long scarf from his pocket. He place it securely around Hanamichi's head and murmured, "Please, don't take this off. Trust me, okay?" 

Sendoh had such a wistful tone to his voice that Hanamichi could do nothing but nod back. When he felt Sendoh finally finish tying the scarf, he waited patiently, hearing the sounds of footsteps exiting the room, and another pair entering. Hanamichi tensed slightly, feeling the aura of the person enfold him. He felt...strange. The presence of the person felt comforting and warm, yet, strange. 

Hanamichi felt like he knew this person, but he didn't know who he was. When he heard the footsteps stop abruptly halfway to his bed, he waited, wondering what the person was doing. When nothing came, he gave a smile to the person and murmured, "I don't bite, you know. You can come closer." 

The person took a small intake of breath before coming forward hesitantly. When Hanamichi felt that the person was beside him, he reached out. "Where are you?" 

"Don't." Came the gruff, pained voice. 

Hanamichi stilled instantly and lowered his hand, his fingers itching to pull the scarf away to see the face of the person. "Who are you? Please, tell me." 

The guy became quiet at that question. Hanamichi wondered if he asked something wrong. Then, the person moved slightly away from Hanamichi as he said, "It's Kaede. Rukawa Kaede." 

"Kae...de?" Hanamichi whispered it, and when he did, and image of a raven haired boy passed in front of his eyes. Again, that sharp pain throbbed in his head, but he bit his lips and forced the image away. 

Rukawa watched Hanamichi's reaction to that, his heart feeling like it was being stabbed. Wanting to end Hanamichi's pain, he continued talking again, wanting to distract Hanamichi from whatever it was he was seeing in his mind. "Listen, don't dwell on my name, okay? If you do, you'll only get hurt." When Hanamichi stopped biting his lip and his expression went back to normal, Rukawa nodded. "Are you okay?" 

Hanamichi looked downwards and nodded, feeling like he was going to faint, but he also felt at the same time that he needed to hear whatever this person was going to say. 

Rukawa sighed and whispered, "I cannot touch you because you will get hurt, and if you think or remember me, you will get hurt as well. That is how simple it sounds, but it is hard to avoid. Do you know why, Hana?" 

Hanamichi shook his head, feeling his heart jump when Rukawa called him 'Hana'. 

Rukawa walked towards the window and looked outside. "You know, before you died, I was your lover." When Hanamichi inhaled sharply, Rukawa pushed on. "I loved you as you loved me. Up to now, I still love you, even though you don't remember me." He slammed his fist hard against the wall, his voice beginning to sound desperate. "Believe me, as much as I want to touch and hold you right now, I can't. I don't want you to suffer." 

Hanamichi's heart jumped up to his throat as his hands shook, wanting to take off the blindfold. Suddenly images of him and a raven haired boy passed in front of his eyes. Both of them kissing in a classroom, joking around in a bedroom, talking in a clinic, and finally, him being taken- 

Immense pain coursed through his body, making him shout out. He grasped the sheets in his hands as he heard Rukawa come closer. "Baka! I told you not to _think_ about it!" 

Hanamichi forced the image away, biting his lip to help him not remember anything. His body was throbbing with pain. 

Rukawa shook his head, a tear escaping his eye. "Gomen...I'm so sorry for causing you all this pain." He knelt down beside the bed and place his head on top of the mattress, wanting to shout out all his pent up frustration. 

Hanamichi was silent, but he was crying as well. He didn't know why, but he was crying. He wanted to reach out and hold the person, but when he place his hand down where he thought the person was, all he held was air. Hanamichi looked up and asked, "Where are you?" 

Rukawa wiped away his tears and stood beside the bed, his fingers slowly tracing the outline of Hanamichi's face. He smiled softly. "I love you." 

Hanamichi stopped breathing. 

Rukawa sighed and stepped away. "I'll love you to the very end, Hanamichi. I promise I will end your suffering." Then, he opened the door, and without a backward glance, shut it softly. 

Hanamichi finally pulled off the scarf, and tears started flowing endlessly down his cheeks. He stared at the door for a moment, then, saw the part of the bed where Rukawa place his head. He leaned down and touched it with his hand, feeling the warmth seep from the bed to his fingertips. He shook his head and fell back against the pillow, his heart suddenly becoming painful. 

Just then, Sendoh came in the room again and saw Hanamichi's pained expression. He quickly made his way towards the redhead and wrapped his arms around the shaking figure. "Hanamichi? Hanamichi! What's wrong?" When Hanamichi buried his face into Sendoh's shoulder hard, Sendoh became frantic. "Hanamichi?! Doshite?" 

"I...want to...see...him." Hanamichi sobbed out. 

Sendoh shook his head and looked into Hanamichi's eyes. "Not now. You can't see him now." 

"WHY?!" Hanamichi burst out, tears falling form his eyes. He gripped Sendoh's arms tight and shook him. "I don't care if I get hurt! I just want to see him! Please!" Hanamichi didn't know why he was so desperate to see Rukawa's face, but he needed to. Badly. He tried to get of the bed, but Sendoh's arms held him back. 

"You can't, Hanamichi! You just can't!" Sendoh shouted, trying to calm the frantic redhead. 

Hanamichi looked up and shouted out, "Tell me why?!" 

Sendoh gritted his teeth then burst out, "Because he and Kogure are going to meet Death NOW!" 

Hanamichi stilled. "What did you say?" 

Sendoh cocked his head to the side. Hanamichi saw the clock and read 11:58. Sendoh nodded his head and told Hanamichi firmly. "That's why I can't let you go after him. Death will try to kill you if ever you show up with Kaede and Kogure. That is why Kaede ordered me and Koshino to stay here with you in case something might happen. Understand?" 

Hanamichi shook his head. "But...I need to-" 

"You can't, Hanamichi." Sendoh repeated, holding Hanamichi to his chest. "I'm sorry, but you can't." 

Hanamichi bit his lip and cried on Sendoh's shoulder. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling. Ever since Rukawa left him alone, there was a bad sensation crawling up his back. He looked past Sendoh's shoulder and focused on the door. "Kaede..." The pain came back at full force and he cried out loudly, falling on Sendoh. His vision was getting blurry, his eyes closing. He vaguely heard Sendoh calling out to him, but all he could see was blue eyes filled tears. Then, one thought passed through his head before he was swallowed by the darkness. 

Kaede's...going to die. 

**TBC**

Camry: Wai!!!! Okay, the end is nearing in. About 3 to 4 more chapters to go, I think. Oh well...anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know I seem out of it, but I'm trying my best. ^_^ Thanks for all your support. I love you guys. ^_^ REVIEW this one please. Thank you! 


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Twenty-Five**

Rukawa eyed Kogure as they rounded one corner with cool, detached eyes. The spectacled boy didn't look too good. Most of his powers were taken away by Raphael during the battle they had in Zion, and he could only conjure a small amount of energy. Rukawa doubted that it could be help him fight Death back. Even Mitsui agreed to this, only he didn't keep it in his mind. 

"Come on, Min-kun! You'll die once Death releases a small portion of his energy straight at you!" Mitsui pleaded as Kogure walked with Rukawa, holding his wounded arm gently. Mitsui shook his head. "Come on. Go back to where Hanamichi is and stay with him." 

Kogure smiled softly at his lover and shook his head. "I made a promise to Rukawa-kun, and I will keep it. Besides, I still have some power left." 

"Yes. _Some_." Mitsui emphasized. 

Kogure shook his head and held Mitsui's hand, trying to calm the nervous demon. "I told you, don't worry. Besides, why don't you go to where Hanamichi-kun is? This battle is between Death and Rukawa and I." 

"No way." Mitsui answered stubbornly as they rounded a corner. "I'm not letting you die." 

Kogure sighed. "You're so stubborn." 

Rukawa noticed that he should leave the two of them alone for a little while, so he quickened his pace. When he was sure that they had enough distance from each other, he went back to his normal stride and looked up, feeling the dark aura of Death seeping in his skin. The battle area was always set on an abandoned field. This time, Death chose the filed that was once a beautiful soccer field, but now, was run down. All that could be seen were sand and dead leaves. It was about 15 hectares long, counting the abandoned buildings beside it, and it was covered by a thick wall. Rukawa made his way through the brass door by the end of the wall and pushed it open, his eyes immediately drawn to the center of the field. 

True enough, Death was standing there, holding his scythe at arms length, but what Rukawa didn't expect was another dark form beside Death. That other form being Eri Fujisawa. 

Mitsui and Kogure stopped beside Rukawa and took in the 2 forms standing at the center of the field. Mitsui cursed under his breath. "What the hell are _you_ doing here, Eri-san? I thought that we were only going to fight Death." 

Eri chuckled at his furious look. "Well, I thought that Death was going to fight only Kaede-san and that angel." 

Mitsui snorted. "The situation called for it." 

Eri smiled back. "Ditto that." 

Rukawa stepped forward, his hair moving with the wind as he released his wings from his back. "What do you want?" 

Eri laughed at that and stepped forward. "I'm going to make a bargain with you." She eyes Rukawa thoughtfully and continued with that mocking voice of hers, "If you refuse to the offer I am going to present to you, your Hanamichi will suffer a very painful death, and the cause would be you. However, if you are to agree with my proposition..." She ran her fingers through her hair, giving Rukawa a sultry look. "I assure you that Hanamichi will be safe and that everyone will be okay." 

Mitsui huffed at that. "And what is your proposition?" 

Eri smiled that evil smile and answered, "Kaede has to marry _me._" 

Silence. 

Eri chuckled at that response and glanced at Rukawa. "How about it, Kaede? Marry me and your little redhead will be safe until the day he dies. It's a pretty good deal, isn't it?" 

Rukawa was silent, his hands clenched tight as he lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes. Yes...even to him the deal sounded good. Too good. To marry her and to spare everyone from dying...It was a very good deal. Rukawa looked up from the corner of his eye and saw Mitsui looking at him with a worried expression, his mouth opening ang closing since he couldn't decide what to say. Kogure looked more composed, but he too was worried. Rukawa sighed and bowed his head again. Then, he bit his lip, seeing the face of Hanamichi float in front of his eyes. He smiled gently as he called out to the smiling redhead. _Hana..._ He unclenched his hands and looked up, making up his mind. 

Eri smiled at Rukawa's determined look. "So...what is your answer?" 

Rukawa smiled back at her and said, "No." 

Eri's composure faltered. She righted herself quickly and stared at Rukawa's smiling face. "Wh-what did you say?" 

Rukawa smiled even more as he shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets. "I said no. No, I won't marry you. No, I won't leave Hana. And no, I won't back out of this battle." He gave Death a hard look, his smile turning into a grin. "I told Hana that I wouldn't abandon him and that I wouldn't love anyone else. I plan to keep that promise even if I die. I won't make him suffer anymore, and I won't let you have him. All in all, my answer to your proposition is," He tipped his head to one side and said heartily, "NO." 

Eri bristled at that answer, her black wings spreading themselves to the limit as the black aura around the field became darker. She drew out a black sword from her side. "You will regret your answer very soon." 

Rukawa formed a scythe from his right hand and held it by his side, his wings spread also. "I don't think so." 

Eri screamed and charged forward, her sword clashing powerfully against Rukawa's, sending a ball of black energy to fall against the ground and burst, making the dust and dead leaves fly around them. Eri opened her eyes and cursed, seeing that her right arm was wounded. She glared haughtily at Rukawa then shouted as she raised her sword, "Die!!!!!" 

Rukawa glared at her, and in a second, he was in front of her, and pushing the end of his scythe against her stomach. She doubled over and held her stomach, her eyes blazing with fire. Rukawa snorted at her and muttered, "You aren't my real enemy. Get out of here." 

"NEVER!!!!!!!" Eri righted her sword and jumped up in the air, a black orb being formed in front of her sword. With a whip, she sent the orb down towards Rukawa. She laughed, seeing that Rukawa had nowhere to run. "Die!!!! Die together with your stupid cousin and his angel lover!!!!! DIE!!!!!" The ball came closer and closer to Rukawa, and when the impact occurred, Eri was blown away by the wind, Death stood exactly where he was, Mitsui shielded his eyes, his arms enveloping Kogure, and Kogure, staring aghast at where Rukawa was. Eri laughed, seeing nothing but burnt soil where Rukawa was once standing. "Hahahahahahaha! That'll show you to never defy me! Hahahahaha-ack!" Eri looked down to her stomach and saw the edge of a scythe protruding from the center. Her eyes became glazed as she looked behind her. Her eyes widened as she gasped out, "H-how...?" 

Rukawa stared back at her emotionlessly as he pulled his scythe away from her body. "I told you, I'll do anything to protect Hana, even if it means killing _you_." 

Eri felt blood slide down the side of her mouth as she smiled up at Rukawa. "Hah...I don't think you'll be able to protect him at all." Then, with a cry, white light exploded from the wound in her stomach and she turned into dust. Rukawa sighed and landed back on the ground, the shield that he place around Mitsui and Kogure visibly showing itself. He stared at them. "You okay?" 

Kogure nodded back, then his eyes widened when he saw something behind Rukawa. "Rukawa! ABUNAI!!!!" 

But it was too late. The ball of energy hit Rukawa squarely on the back, sending him falling hard on the ground. When the smoke cleared, Rukawa had a big wound on his back, blood seeping all over his body. Kogure gasped and ran over to Rukawa's body, followed closely by Mitsui. Kogure looked at Rukawa's wound and shouted out, "Rukawa!!! Rukawa!!!! Shikarishite!!!!" 

"It's no use." Death said in a soft tone, floating towards them with ease. Mitsui stepped over both Kogure and Rukawa's body, using himself as their shield. Death smiled at that and continued. "Even thought Kaede-sama is a strong demon, even he cannot stand up after being hit with my energy ball." 

Mitsui drew out his scythe and charged forward. "Shut up!!!!" 

Kogure looked up and shouted, "YAMETTE!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

But it was too late. Death lifted his scythe up a little bit and a black orb was formed. Mitsui's scythe connected with it, the electricity coursing through his entire body, making his heart race and blood come out of newly formed wounds. He pushed against the orb more, then, he was shoved back, his body hitting the thick wall hard. Mitsui slumped to the ground, his shaky hands trying to pull himself up. "Yaro..." 

Death snorted and moved towards Kogure. "It's futile to try to stop me." He glanced down at Kogure and lifted his scythe. "Satan-sama's orders were to eliminate you and that mortal. Thank you for playing your part in this fascinating tale." Death aimed his scythe down straight at Kogure, but a shield stopped it before it could touch Kogure's face. Death's eyes widened a he looked at the barrier. "What the-" 

Kogure smirked and stood up, a sword forming itself on his right hand. "I may have lost most of my powers, but I still have enough." Then, with a war cry, Kogure broke through his barrier and aimed his sword at Death's head. Death saw that move coming and intercepted it, his scythe blocking Kogure's sword. Kogure drew back and quickly rained down blow after blow, not giving Death anytime to form another orb. He aimed at Death's feet, and when he saw Death lift himself off the ground and into the sky, he knew he was at a disadvantage. 

Death chuckled down at Kogure. "It seems that you have lost your wings. Tsk, tsk." Then, with a swipe of his scythe, he sent a gigantic black orb towards Kogure. Kogure saw it coming, tried to block it with his sword and whatever was left of his energy, but it was too much. Kogure was pushed back by the force, slamming his head against the ground as he fell, blood matting his head as he released his sword. 

Mitsui bit back the amount of blood that wanted to come out of his mouth as he stood up. "Min-kun!" 

Death chuckled, seeing that Kogure wasn't dead yet. His chest was still rising and falling slowly. "You're a tough angel, you know that? Too bad you won't be so tough after this." Death raised his scythe, the edge of the blade glowing dark red and yellow. 

Mitsui's eyes widened when he saw that. It was the move he saw when he was still young. That was the move Death made when he sliced that demons body in _half_. Mitsui stood up and ran towards Kogure, his legs shaky and the distance too wide. "Stop it!!!!!!!" He spread his wings, which were bloodied and bent because of the force sent towards him, and managed to shorten his distance. 

Death laughed and brought his scythe down. "Ja ne." 

Mitsui's eyes became teary as he reached out. "YAMERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

A blinding light filled the entire stadium when Death's scythe made contact with his target. Mitsui's wings were bent even further, making him fall to the ground, his hands balled into fists as he cried out, "MIN-KUN!!!!!" 

Death laughed his evil laugh, still not moving from his position. When the light finally faded away, he opened his eyes and looked down. Then, he gasped as he fell back, his eyes wide as he tried to say something, though nothing came out. His scythe- 

-was blocked by Rukawa's scythe. 

Death gasped and stared with disbelief at Rukawa. "Masaka!" 

Rukawa glared up at him, his blue eyes becoming dark yellow with a certain light to it. Blood trickled down the side of his mouth, his arms matted with the wound from his back, but the power he had was still there. He pushed Death back as he slowly stood up, his aura slowly becoming bigger and bigger again as he murmured, "Attacking someone from behind is a very cowardly thing to do." 

Mitsui looked up from the ground, saw Rukawa blocking Death's scythe from Kogure, and tried to stand up, the wound in his knees making it very difficult. "Kaede!" 

Rukawa didn't even spare him a glance as he continued pushing Death back, his dark aura becoming 5 times his body size. "Take care of Kogure, Hisashi. I'll handle Death." 

Death finally got his bearings back and stopped backing up as he too pushed his scythe against Rukawa's. He sneered. "How brave of you, Kaede-sama. But have you forgotten that a mere demon like yourself cannot beat me unless you have an angel by your side?" 

Rukawa smirked back and pushed their scythes away from each other, their bodies in battle mode. "Don't care." 

Death sighed as he drew his scythe back. "You asked for it." With that, Death smiled at Rukawa, then took a step back. Once he did that however, his entire body shifted, and before Rukawa could see what he had done, he was surrounded by what looked like 10 figures that all looked like Death. They all spoke at the same time as they started circling Rukawa, their scythe's flashing because of the sun. "Now, now, Kaede-sama...can you find me?" When they all finished saying that, a scythe was aimed straight at Rukawa's eyes, but Rukawa managed to block it, his heart ramming against his chest. 

Rukawa cursed and turned around. Death was known for his magic and skill in the Underworld. He has never used it against another demon unless called for it, but Rukawa heard that no one has ever survived this technique once Death brought it out. When he saw 2 scythe's coming down at him, he blocked them both, though the other one managed to slice his shirt in half, making a small wound on his chest. Rukawa cursed. 

Death chuckled happily and he circled around Rukawa even faster. "What's the matter, young prince? Scared?" With that, 4 scythes in all four corners of the circle came down. Rukawa blocked two, as one cut his upper arm deeply and the other his cheek. 

Blood trickled down the side of Rukawa's face, but he remained passive, his eyes darting left and right, hoping to catch the real Death. Now he saw why no one has ever survived this technique before. This was a perfect assassinating technique meant for those who were about to die. There was no way to distinguish who the real Death was since you can't stare at his eyes because of the cloak, and they all moved and hurt you when they attack. Rukawa raised his sword, prepared for the next round of attacks. 

Mitsui cradled Kogure's head in his arms and watched Rukawa struggle. He had to help him. Now that Kogure was out, he was the only one left. Mitsui place Kogure's head down to the ground, murmured an incantation under his breath for a barrier to form itself over Kogure, and stood up, his knees shaking. He took a step forward, and gasped when he felt immense pain travel up his left leg. He fell to the ground and grasped it tight, feeling tears fall down his face. _Broken?! Of all times, why now?!_

Rukawa saw 8 scythe's being brought down, and he expertly blocked 5, but three of them changed their course, each giving him wounds on the back, arms, and legs. Rukawa felt his vision becoming slightly blurry due to the loss of blood. The one on his back was the main reason. He could have summoned already his final technique, which was the 50 Orb Attack, but if only he didn't lose too much blood. He was getting weaker and breathless. 

Just then, Death noticed the glazed look on Rukawa's face and backed away, the other figures following his lead. They all were still around Rukawa, only this time, they all had a small black orb in one hand. Rukawa breathed in and out rapidly, his eyes darting from one form to the other. Finally, the real Death smiled at Rukawa and said, "Good night, Kaede-sama." And with that, all 10 forms released the black orbs towards Rukawa, the energy making the ground crack and break up. 

Rukawa place his sword in front of him, waiting for the blow. Just then, he saw Hanamichi's smiling face again and he smiled, feeling the hot air of the orb close in. _Gomenasai, Hana...I wasn't able to protect you after all..._ The white light from the electricity became blinding that he had to close his eyes. When nothing happened, he cautiously peered up, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. 

There standing in front of him, was a certain redhead with black leather jeans, boots, and fitted black shirt. But that wasn't what shocked Rukawa. Hanamichi was holding a scythe with a determined look on his face, and on his back- 

-were black wings with silver linings. 

Rukawa gaped like a fish as Hanamichi turned to look at him and smiled that arrogant smile of his as he said the one last thing Rukawa expected to hear from him. 

"You really are one stupid guy, you know that, Kitsune?" 

**TBC**

Camry: Hello there! ^_^ Sorry for not posting anything yesterday. I had a high fever. Actually, I still have one now, but I didn't want to keep you guys in suspense. Well actually, I think I just did that again, didn't I? Oh well...^_^ Anyway, yatta!! Hope you liked this chapter! REVIEW please! Arigatou! ^_^ 


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Part Twenty-Six**

"Hana?!" Rukawa gasped out as he struggled to stand up, but when he tried, the wound on his leg protested, making him grimace in pain as he fell back down on the ground, clutching his leg as the wound in his back bled even more due to his position. Hanamichi cursed and came forward, noting the wound on the raven haired man's back. When he raised both hands over Rukawa's back, Rukawa looked up into Hanamichi's eyes and whispered slowly, "What...are you...doing...Hana?" 

Hanamichi answered impatiently. "What does it look like, baka?! You're bleeding like nuts here! I have to heal you!" As he was saying that, a light green glow appeared on his hands as he passed on his energy to Rukawa. Slowly, the blood stopped flowing and the wound started healing itself. When Hanamichi was done, seeing the marred wound gone, he stood back and smiled at his work. "There! All better." 

Rukawa grasped Hanamichi's hand fast and pulled the redhead's face close to his. "What are you doing here?!" Then, he noticed something as he stared into Hanamichi's eyes. "Wait...why aren't you suffering when you look at me?" 

Hanamichi shrugged and helped Rukawa to his feet. "Dunno. One minute, I lost my memory, the next, these wings popped out of my back and everything came back to me." Hanamichi smiled at Rukawa's stunned face. "Hehe. Ain't it cool? I have wings!" 

"No, it isn't cool." Rukawa muttered angrily as he managed to stand up straight without Hanamichi's help. 

Hanamichi raised his eyebrow in question. "Why not?" 

Rukawa pointed his finger to the figure hovering a few feet away from them. "Because he's gonna kill you." 

Hanamichi turned his head slightly to the side, spotted Death holding his scythe close to his chest, and smirked diabolically. "Heh...?" Hanamichi turned fully, bringing his own scythe in front of him as he nodded his head in greeting to Death. "Yo, Death. Miss me?" 

Rukawa stared at Hanamichi incredulously, but Death laughed back. "You have no idea how much I wanted to see you, Sakuragi-san. And I see you really are the chosen bride for Kaede-sama, plus, you have the power." Death said this all in a cool manner, but inside, he was shaking with uncertainty. He didn't sense the power from Hanamichi when he was on his way towards them. Usually, he could sense anything as far as 100 miles away, but even when Hanamichi came and blocked his final blow, he hadn't sensed him. As Death observed Hanamichi now, standing astride with his wings folded slightly and scythe held up, Death felt a chill ran down his spine. The aura from Hanamichi was...overwhelming. It looked so big, and yet, it didn't seem so dark. It looked like it was mixed with light and dark. Death has never seen anything like that, and he didn't know how much power the young man had. 

Hanamichi smiled at Death, then his face turned serious. "You know, you hurt my lover and my friends while I was gone. Do you know what I want to do with you right now because of that? Hmmm?" 

Death shook his doubts away from his head and sneered back at the redhead. "What, Sakuragi-kun?" 

Hanamichi lifted his body off the ground and into the sky as he shouted, "Kill you!" As he said that, he spread his arms and a black orb appeared in front of him, crackling with the electricity inside. He sent it down towards Death, and at the same time, followed close. Death managed to destroy the orb as it collided with his scythe, but he wasn't able to block Hanamichi's attack. The scythe cut off his left arm, making him drop to his feet in pain. 

Hanamichi landed on the ground, tucking his wings in as he watched Death clutch his side. Just then, Sendoh and Koshino ran in, looking breathless and pale, but when the saw Hanamichi, they breathed out a sigh of relief. Sendoh stepped forward angrily and pointed his finger at Hanamichi, who was standing over Death's body. "Kora! Hanamichi!!! Why didn't you wait for us?!!!" 

Hanamichi shrugged. "Coz you guys were too slow." 

Sendoh shook his head, then bowed down to Rukawa, who was slowly regaining his strength. "Sorry about not keeping him in the house. One minute, he's crying on my shoulder when you left, the next, those wings sprouted from his back and he regained his memory. Then, he threatened me and Koshino-" 

Rukawa shook his head at that. "Wait, wait, hold on. Threatened?" 

Sendoh nodded. "Yeah. Something about wanting to learn a spell that can help you fight against Death, and a healing spell. Well, we taught him the orb attack and how to heal, and he took off." 

Rukawa looked back at Hanamichi's face. _I see...That's how he healed me and got the orb out in the first place..._ Then, he saw a movement on the ground and shouted, "HANA! STEP BACK!" 

"Eh?" Hanamichi did as he was told, not sure why he had to do it, but when he looked down at Death, his eyes widened in disbelief. "No...way..." Death's arm was reforming itself. Some cells attached themselves on the cut arm and started rebuilding it. Hanamichi watched as Death stood up in a graceful manner, his arm back to normal, his scythe in front of him. Hanamichi cursed and flew up again. "No way..." He formed another orb in front of his body and threw it towards Death fast, his eyes shaking with fear and disbelief. "DIE!!!!" 

When his orb was about to hit Death right on the head, Death looked up at the orb and stopped it with his eyes. The orb stood still and silent as Death smiled up at Hanamichi, showing the redhead that he was in charge. 

Hanamichi swallowed hard, his eyes wide. "Sou na..." 

But before anything else, Death made a small movement with his finger, and the orb flew back towards Hanamichi at a fast rate. Hanamichi had no time to fly away, and seeing that he had no other option, he tried to block it with his scythe. The orb connected with his weapon and he pushed hard against it, but when Death made another movement with his hand, Hanamichi cried out as the wind from the orb cut through his skin, creating various wound everywhere. Hanamichi felt a particularly large wound form on his right hand, which caused him to jerk back, thus, making his body accept the full impact of the orb. Hanamichi cried out in pain as his body received a hot and harsh beating, and as the finale, it exploded on his chest. He choked back the blood that threatened to come out of his mouth as he clutched his stomach, falling head first towards the ground. 

"HANA!!!!!" Rukawa called out, hoping that Hanamichi would regain consciousness and spread his wings. It didn't happen. Rukawa cursed and spread his wings, wincing a bit because it was newly healed, and also because he was too forceful. He dove straight towards Hanamichi and caught the redhead before his head could touch the ground. He cradled Hanamichi in his arms as he rose higher and higher, touching Hanamichi's cheek softly as he did so. "Hana...Hana..." 

Hanamichi opened his eyes, and he smiled up at Rukawa weakly. "Hey..." 

Rukawa closed his eyes in relief and murmured, "This will hurt for a while, but you'll feel better afterwards." With that, Rukawa enclosed both their bodies in a light green ball. When he did that, all of their wounds and cuts were healed. Hanamichi did cringe and gasp every once in a while, but when it was over, he regained his energy. Rukawa sighed and kissed Hanamichi on the forehead, too happy to speak. 

Hanamichi spread his wings and extracted himself from Rukawa's hold as he touched Rukawa's face. "You okay?" 

Rukawa nodded. "Yeah. That was just a small part of my power, so no problem." 

Hanamichi nodded back and stared at Death, who was grinning up at them. Hanamichi's voice shook. "What do we do? He's really powerful." 

"He's Death. What more can you expect?" Rukawa replied, holding Hanamichi close to him. 

Death levitated himself up to where Hanamichi and Rukawa were and smiled at them. "My orders were only to kill the angel and you, Sakuragi-san. I haven't released my true power yet, but I can assure you that no one can stop me once I do." 

Hanamichi thought that over and smiled to himself. "I think you better take those words back, Death." With that, he formed a small black orb and threw it towards Death, at the same, time, he grabbed Rukawa's wrist and dragged him towards the opposite direction. When he saw that Death was enclosed in the smoke created by the impact of his orb, he whispered anxiously, "Kitsune, do you know about the combining our powers thing so that any wish that I ask will come true?" 

Rukawa nodded. "Of course I do." 

Hanamichi looked up and saw Death come out of the smoke, aiming a very large orb towards him. He managed to duck at the right time as he continued talking to Rukawa, who at the moment threw his own black orb towards Death. "Well, would you please tell me how to bring that power out of me so we can end this? I don't want anyone to die, you know." 

Rukawa jumped up before the orb he sent came back towards him, then, he said, "Sendoh or Mitsui. They know." With that, Hanamichi flew off towards the entrance of the field where everyone was as Rukawa faced Death. 

Death laughed under his breath when he noticed Hanamichi land beside Sendoh and say something urgently. Death shifted his attention towards Rukawa and drew out his scythe. "Well, it seems that I have to make you unconscious again so that you won't interfere with me when I kill your lover over there." 

Rukawa held his own scythe at arms length and muttered furiously, "I won't let you touch him." 

"Hmph. Irresponsible promises." With that, Death lunged forward and started battling with Rukawa. 

Rukawa managed to block every hit that was meant to knock him out, but when he saw Death's grin under that cloak, he knew that Death wasn't serious at all. He was simply playing with him, making it seem like all his efforts didn't go to waste when in fact it was like seeing an adult and a child playing together. Rukawa was furious and he hastened his blows, aiming for the face of Death. Instead of him hitting though, Death managed to swing his scythe around expertly and the tip entered Rukawa's thigh, making Rukawa scream out in pain. 

Death smiled at him and pushed the blade even deeper. "What's wrong, Kaede-sama? Want to give up and let me kill you beloved Hana?" 

Rukawa shouted out in frustration and knocked Death's scythe away from his thigh with his own scythe. "Never call him _that_!" 

Death shrugged and before Rukawa knew it, an orb hit him straight on the chest. His body was pushed back against the wall hard, making him lose his breath because of the impact. Rukawa's held on to the rocks around him as he glared at Death, who was nearing in with a very large orb, the energy crackling like lighting. He shrunk back unconsciously, wanting to fight back, but his scythe dropped to the ground when the first orb made contact with his chest. 

Rukawa clenched his teeth, knowing that he was helpless at the moment, his vision slightly blurry because of the impact. "Kuso..." 

Death grinned at him, then aimed the orb towards Rukawa. "It's time to go to sleep for now." He released the orb straight at Rukawa's head, laughing madly as he did so. But then, instead of the orb hitting Rukawa, it turned around and hit Death, sending him falling to the ground hard. 

Rukawa looked up at who was in front of him and smiled. "Thanks again." 

Hanamichi smiled back. "Anytime." Then, he groaned when he lifted his hand over Rukawa's injured leg and started healing him again. "Man! This healing thing sure is a pain in the butt, huh?" Rukawa only smiled in response. When he was done, he helped Rukawa from the wall and healed the back of the raven haired man's head where a nasty cut made itself known. 

Death lifted his body off the ground and glared angrily at Hanamichi. "This is the second time you have interrupted me, mortal." 

Hanamichi turned his attention towards Death and smiled arrogantly. "Yeah, well, this was the second time you tried to hit Kaede with that orb of yours when he couldn't do anything, so I think it's pretty fair." 

Death rose up from the ground and glared at Hanamichi. He levitated himself off the ground and into the air, his entire form crackling with electricity, the clouds darkening slightly, and the wind becoming cold. Death raised his arms up and made a gigantic orb above his head, the lightning from the clouds and the wind from above combining themselves with the orb, making it look bigger and more powerful. Angrily, he said, "It seems that I have to hit you with a very hard orb since you're so hardheaded, Sakuragi-kun." 

Rukawa looked at the orb for a while, then whispered to Hanamichi, "That's one of his most powerful attacks, Hana. Are you ready for our final attack?" 

Hanamichi licked his lips. "Yeah...I'm ready." 

Rukawa nodded back then closed his eyes. Hanamichi did the same and they started mumbling a very old incantation under their breaths, both their bodies glowing bright yellow, an unseen wind blowing gently against their faces. They both lifted their scythes in front of them when they got to the middle part of the incantation, a silver blue essence flowing around them as they continued speaking silently. 

Death snorted under his breath and threw the gigantic orb towards the duo. "NOW YOU DIE!!!!!!!!!!!" 

At the exact same time he orb was released, both Rukawa and Hanamichi's eyes opened, showing the color of light yellow and blue mixed together as they both flew straight towards the center of the orb, their scythes encased in wind as they molded into one. When the wind disappeared, they were holding a grand scythe that looked magnificent and majestic. They hit the center of the orb, made it explode, and continued forward until finally, they hit Death's chest, shouting as they did so. Then, they were engulfed in light. 

The strange, white light exploded everywhere, making everything disappear and every sound vanish. Hanamichi closed his eyes, feeling his body fall down towards the ground, expecting to crash against the hard, dead earth. But when his body didn't hit anything, he opened his eyes cautiously, and saw that he was in a different dimension that somewhat resembled the sea from below. He saw the sun's rays shining down from the surface of the ocean, and he felt the calm touch of the water caress his exposed skin. He closed his eyes, feeling peaceful and free. Then, that's when he heard a small voice whisper to him. 

_"Hanamichi..."_

Hanamichi didn't open his eyes, feeling drained from using most of his powers to fight off the orb that Death sent towards him. Instead, he answered the voice back by thinking it. _Who are you?_

The voice chuckled softly. _"Let's just say that I'm your fairy god-mother."_ The voice paused for a while then asked silently, _"What do you wish for? And you may only have one wish."_

Hanamichi felt drowsy and so tired, but he saw the face of Rukawa pass before his eyes, followed by Kogure's smiling face, Mitsui's shocked expression, Sendoh sitting beside him, and Koshino staring at him form a distance. When he was about to open his mouth, the voice interrupted him again. 

_"Before you answer, you must know the consequences that may occur because of your wish, or the changes that will take place around the world, will be because of your decision. Think wisely."_

Hanamichi calmed his heart, knowing that the perfect wish was somewhere in him, but he just didn't know how to put it in words. He wanted everyone to be happy and safe. He wanted Rukawa beside him, he wanted Kogure to be healed and to stay with Mitsui, he wanted Sendoh and Koshino to be okay even after doing all kinds of things to get him and Rukawa together...he wanted the world to be the same. He thought it over and over in his head, when it finally hit him. He smiled and whispered, "I know what to wish for." 

The voice came close to him, the presence comforting. _"What is it, Hanamichi?"_

Hanamichi smiled then felt the light consume his vision. He felt his body fall slowly from where he was floating to a place that felt soft as his mind shut down. But before everything turned black, he managed to whisper one sentence. 

"I wish...that everything would be right." 

**TBC**

Camry: Hah! I thought I lost the last 3 chapters when it didn't appear in ff.net! What's worse, I deleted it from my file already WAH!!! But hey, it was saved by a friend of mine who owns this website: animefrenzy.topcities.com. Please visit it! Anyway, what do you think? REVIEW!!! 


	27. Epilogue I

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Epilogue I**

Hanamichi bolted up from his bed, one hand reaching out for something while the other was place over his rapidly beating heart. His eyes were wild, his breathing labored, and he was drenched in sweat. It was morning, but his skin felt as cold as ice, making him shake even more as the cool air blew in from his open window. He tried to control and regulate his breathing, all the while noting how quiet everything was around him. When he finally slowed his heart rate by a notch, he looked around again, his mind and senses muddled. 

He inhaled slowly and place his face in his hands as he lowered his head, his chin touching his bent knees. He saw a bird land on the sill of his window, and saw an image of him flying towards Death with Rukawa beside- 

He gasped at that and jumped out of his bed, everything rushing back to him. The battle, healing Rukawa, the incantation, then...the wish. At that, he looked around, and not finding whatever he wanted to see, he crossed his room in long strides and went towards Rukawa's room. He opened the door and saw nothing but a plain bed, which looked as if it hadn't been touched. He did the same with Mitsui's room, and when no one was there, his eyebrows narrowed in both confusion and annoyance. _Where was everyone?_ He was pretty sure that when he wished that everything would be right, everything would be..._right._

Confused, he went back to his room and brooded about it. He didn't know what to do. When he had asked for that wish, he expected...something to appear in front of his eyes to prove that whatever he had wished for came true. 

At that thought, he moved towards his window and looked out. Okay, everything was normal. There were buildings, people, trees...nothing changed. Next, he tried to look at his back and stared. His wings...he clenched his hands as he willed with all his might for something to popped out of his back like the last time. He tried this for about 3 times, then his shoulders sagged when nothing happened. Annoyed, he scratched his head as he ranted, "Argh! Kami-sama!! What the hell happened?! What did my wish do?!!!!" When he got no answer, he looked at his bedside table, and his eyes widened. 

The book that had started this all, the book that allowed him to meet Rukawa, was still there. The book entitled 'The Underworld's Secret.' 

His eyes widened when he got another idea, and he rushed forward. He grabbed the book, turned it to the last page, and saw the exact same incantation he had used before. Without any hesitation, he did all the preparations in around 30 seconds; the drawing of the weird symbol on the floor, the rememorizing of the lines, the works. Finally, he whispered the incantation swiftly when he place himself on the center of the symbol and waited. Like before, the wind entered his room and brushed against his face. When he felt that, he opened his eyes and looked up. "Rukawa?" But instead of Rukawa being in front of him, a white dove was perched on his windowsill. It moved its head to one side, watching Hanamichi curiously before flying away towards the sun. 

Hanamichi exhaled in defeat, falling back against the floor. "Doshite?" he murmured to himself, placing one arm over his eyes. He didn't get it. Something was _suppose_ to happen. Right? Why wasn't anything happening? Why? Annoyed, he lifted his arms to Heaven and groaned out, "Come on! Give me a sign!" He thought his action over, stood up, and pointed his arms down to Hell. "Hey! Come on guys! Anything! Just give me a stupid sign!" 

When he said that last word, the phone by the hall rang. 

Shocked, he listened to it ring for a while, wondering if his plea for a sign was heard. Pushing that out of his mind, he exited his room at top speed and reached for the phone. Cautiously, he held the receiver and said, "He-hello?" 

"Oi! Hanamichi! Are you ready for school yet?" 

Hanamichi faltered. _"YOHEI?!"_

The boy on the other line snorted. "Oh no, it's the tooth fairy. Anyway, if you just woke up, I suggest you start changing. We have a test in History today, ya know. Takamiya, Ohkusu, Noma and I will be at your house in 5 minutes, okay? Ja!" And before Hanamichi could say something back, the line went dead. 

Hanamichi stared at the receiver in his hands for a few seconds, then threw it to the floor as he stomped around wildly. **"IS THIS MY STUPID SIGN?!!! GIVE ME A BREAK!!"** Angrily, he went back into his room, took a quick bath, and changed into his school uniform. It looked like the results of his wish weren't going to show themselves to him anytime soon, so he decided to go to school to pass the time. Hell, he might even fail that stupid History test, but what else could he do? Count how many birds passed by his window? 

At exactly 5 minutes, the Sakuragi gundan were ringing his doorbell like nuts and causing a raucous outside as they called for Hanamichi over and over again. Hanamichi came out and gave them all the evil eye as he slammed his gate shut. "Urusai! You wanna wake up the entire block?!" 

Takamiya laughed that annoying laugh of his. "Oh no, Hanamichi! We just wanted to disturb _you_." 

Hanamichi snorted and turned towards the school. "How thoughtful of you. Let's get going." 

"HAI!" 

Hanamichi sighed as he stared at the blue sky, lost in his own thoughts again. Takamiya, Noma and Ohkusu were talking among themselves about a new tactic on how to pick up a girl, but Yohei noticed his best friends face. He walked alongside Hanamichi and peered up at his friend, concern on his face. "Daijobu, Hanamichi?" 

"Eh?" Hanamichi blinked out of his musings and glanced at Yohei. "What are you talking about?" 

Yohei shrugged and turned to look forward. "You look like you're preoccupied with something really important. What's wrong?" 

Hanamichi tilted his head back as he thought of what to say. Finally, he told a lie to cover up his lack of concentration. "Well, let's just say that I'm worried Rukawa may beat me on the test today. You know me. I can't lose to that stupid kitsune." Hanamichi laughed at that, wondering if Yohei bought his reason. 

Yohei raised his eyebrows. "Rukawa? Who's that?" 

Hanamichi stopped dead in his tracks and stared incredulously at Yohei. The other members of the gang stopped too, wondering what was wrong. Hanamichi grasped Yohei's collar frantically. "What did you just say?!" 

Yohei held Hanamichi's hand in alarm. "Nothing! I just asked-" 

"You don't remember Rukawa?!" Hanamichi asked loudly. 

Yohei shook his head, a confused look on his face. "No. In fact, I've never heard of that person before." When Hanamichi's hand became slack, unconsciously releasing the other boy, Yohei straightened his collar and gave Hanamichi a worried look. "Hanamichi, are you sure you're okay?" 

Hanamichi snapped out of his thoughts and waved his hands at his gang. "Yeah. Yeah....I'm fine." He assured them, though the smile he had on his face was strained to the limit. Then, he lowered his smile and asked quietly, "Are...are you sure about your answer?" 

Yohei nodded. "Positive. I've never heard of him." 

"Sou...ka..." Hanamichi looked at the ground, his body tense. 

Yohei moved his head slightly to one side. "Hanamichi, what's wrong?" 

Hanamichi shook his head and looked forward, his feet moving at a fast pace. "Nothing, Yohei." When he saw his friends shrug at each other and follow him, the tension from the conversation earlier fading away, Hanamichi sighed and looked at the road, tears threatening to fall. He bit his bottom lip, forcing himself to remain strong. But the fact that Yohei brought out hurt too much. He balled his hands into fists as one tear made it's way down his cheek. 

Rukawa...was erased from his world. 

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi plopped down on his seat as soon as he entered his classroom, a dazed look on his face. He watched the cherry blossoms from outside the class window flutter towards the ground, his eyes dead. The Sakuragi gundan stared at him from the door for a while, wondering what was wrong with their usually lively friend. Yohei shook his head and told them to get to their classes. When they left, Yohei took his seat beside Hanamichi. "Ano, Hanamichi-" 

"Sakuragi-kun!" 

Hanamichi and Yohei both turned at the same time to look at who called the redhead. When Hanamichi saw Kogure making his way towards him, he jumped out of his chair, a shocked expression on his face. "Megane-kun!" 

Kogure bit his lip and pulled Hanamichi towards the corridor, giving Yohei a pleading look as to not disturb them. Yohei understood the message Kogure sent him through his eyes and sat down, a bemused look on his face. Kogure brought Hanamichi towards the window closest to the stairs and whirled around. "Tell me that you remember _everything_ and _everyone_, Sakuragi-kun. Please." 

Hanamichi pointed a finger at the spectacled boy. "You-you remember it too?!" 

Kogure sighed in relief and slumped back against the wall, cradling his head as if it hurt. "Thank God you remember. I woke up in my house after that battle you and Rukawa-kun had with Death. I went to school, and when I asked for Mitsui, they told me they didn't know anyone named Mitsui. I was shocked, of course, but then, I just had to make sure if everything that happened was just some crazy nightmare." 

Hanamichi nodded back vigorously. "Yeah! I felt the same way too! When I told Yohei this morning I planned to beat Rukawa in my test, he asked me who Rukawa was!" Hanamichi gave an exasperated groan then leaned back against the window. Then, he paused, and gazed at Kogure in a peculiar manner. "Wait a minute... Are you still an angel or something?" 

Kogure seemed surprised at that question, then, he rubbed his head. "I don't know myself. Raphael came to me this morning and told me that everything that had happened in Zion was forgiven, and I was to continue living on Earth." He shrugged. "I guess I'm a normal human being now." 

Hanamichi blinked. "I guess so." Then, he lowered his gaze and whispered, "So...they're gone...ka?" 

Kogure looked out of the window and sighed. "I don't really know." He turned to look at Hanamichi and asked quietly, "When you left Rukawa to fight with Death for a while and went to Sendoh, you asked him on what you should do to make that wish thing come out. What did you mean by that?" 

Hanamichi shrugged. "The so-called true bride of Rukawa can get one wish from a certain person if he or she combines this technique with Rukawa. So, I learned it from Sendoh and used that technique against Death." 

"I see..." Kogure eyed Hanamichi. "What did you wish for?" 

Hanamichi stared at nothing for a while at that question, then, he closed his eyes and murmured, "For everything to be right." 

"Right?" Kogure narrowed his eyes at that. "What do you mean?" 

"I don't know. It just came to my mind and I said it." 

Kogure backed up. "It just came to your mind?" At Hanamichi's nod, Kogure shook his head and gazed thoughtfully at the cherry blossoms. He sighed when he heard the bell ring, and turned to Hanamichi. "Looks like we have to continue this conversation later, huh?" 

Hanamichi smiled back and nodded as he straightened his form. "Yeah, guess so." 

Kogure patted Hanamichi comfortingly on the arm as he walked away. "I hope that wish of yours will come true sometime, Sakuragi-kun." With that, he left, leaving Hanamichi standing all alone by the corridor. He turned to the right and continued his stride, his hand clenched at his side as he continued walking towards his class, lost in his own thoughts. 

When he had found out that morning that no one knew who Mitsui was, he was devastated. He wanted to turn every desk in the classroom around, throw the books everywhere, break the windows of the room, shout out, everything. But, he managed not to. He took in how many deep breaths to calm himself, then he exited the room, hoping to find Hanamichi and ask if he remembered anything. Indeed, he found the redhead, and was relieved to know that Hanamichi didn't forget who Mitsui and Rukawa were, but now... 

He swiftly entered the bathroom at his left and went towards the sink, his hands grasping the sides tightly as tears started falling down his eyes. He leaned his forehead against the cool plane of the mirror. _Doshite...Where are you, Hisashi?..._ He asked himself, wanting an answer. He sobbed quietly when he got none, his face contorted to an expression of immense pain as his body shook. He bit his lip hard, gnawing on the flesh, and soon tasted the metallic taste of blood against his tongue. At that, he licked his wound as he cried, wanting to disappear and go to where Mitsui wanted. He wanted to kiss those sweet lips again, wanted to hug that warm body again, wanted to- 

"Don't inflict pain on yourself, Min-kun." 

Kogure stilled at that voice and at the nickname used. He turned around to look at the person, and felt his heart stop. "Sou na..." He couldn't believe it...it couldn't be real...but when that very same person gave him a warm smile, Kogure fell back against the tiled wall and stared hard. "It can't be..." 

_Hisashi?!_

* * * * * * 

Hanamichi sat down on his seat at the exact same time the teacher entered, moving towards his chair slowly as he repeated what Kogure said to him over and over again. _I hope that wish of yours will come true sometime, Sakuragi-kun._ Sometime...When was this sometime? Hanamichi sighed and place his head down on his hands that folded themselves on the desk as he half listened to the teacher. 

"Everyone, I am pleased to announce that we have a new..." 

_Where are you, Kitsune? Did my wish come true, or was it all just crap?_ Hanamichi thought to himself, closing his eyes as the teacher continued speaking in synch with Hanamichi's own thoughts. 

"...He came from Canada and has transferred here for..." 

_How am I suppose to know if my wish came true, Kaede? How am I suppose to know what I meant when I wished for everything to be right?_

"Please take the seat beside..." 

_I miss you...I love you so much, and yet I can't see you..._ Hanamichi buried his face deeper into his arms, feeling too depressed to do anything else. He shifted his head to one side and felt a tear slide down the side of his face when he saw Rukawa's smiling face pass before his eyes. He closed his eyes and whispered silently, "Kaede..." 

"Hai, Hana?" 

Hanamichi's entire system shut down as his eyes snapped open. His arms twitched but didn't do anything else as his feet felt numb to the bones. Hanamichi stared at his desk for a while, wondering what he just heard. Was it his imagination again, or a cruel joke someone planned? But his question was answered when he heard his classmates gasp around him. 

"Did you HEAR that?" 

"Yeah man!" 

"He called Sakuragi-kun 'Hana'!" 

"And Hanamichi didn't KILL him." 

"Woah...weird..." 

"Rukawa-kun...ka?" 

"Hana! He called Sakuragi HANA!" 

"Do you think they're-" 

Hanamichi remembered this scene and conversation all too well. It was exactly what had happened when...He slowly lifted his head up to the person looming over him, his eyes passing a well toned chest, broad shoulders, a long graceful neck, and finally, his heart stopped functioning at what he saw. A beautiful face that radiated life and love gazed down at him, striking blue eyes held his own, soft, raven hair that was layered up to his ears, high prominent cheekbones fit for a model, smooth white skin, and finally...lips that looked as soft as cherry blossoms. Hanamichi swallowed as he gasped out, "Ki-kitsune..." 

Rukawa smiled lovingly down at him and nodded. "Aa. Hisashiburi ne, Hana?" 

Hanamichi didn't answer that question. One minute, he was slouching down on his chair, the next, he jumped out of his chair, weaved his arms around Rukawa's neck, and gave the raven hair boy the most passionate kiss in the world. Everyone gaped and dropped the pens they were holding as they watched the scene in front of them, but Hanamichi and Rukawa didn't mind them. 

Rukawa wrapped his arms possessively around Hanamichi's slim waist and held the red haired boy closer, devouring the mouth as he slipped his tongue in. Hanamichi moaned deep in his throat as he returned the kiss full heartedly, tears breaking free from his eyes as he sobbed against Rukawa's soft lips. _Kaede!...Kaede!!_

When they both finally paused to breath, Hanamichi cupped Rukawa's face in his hands and gasped out happily, "How...what-I..." 

Rukawa smiled at him and gave him a swift kiss. "I'll explain later. For now..." He turned to look around the room and grinned. "I think we should get back to class." 

Hanamichi blinked and looked around, wondering what Rukawa meant by that. When he caught the shocked faces of his classmates, the way his teacher was literally twitching like an almost-dead lizard on the floor, and they way Yohei's eyes seemed to pop out of his sockets, Hanamichi blushed and sat back down, an amused Rukawa giving him one last kiss on the cheek before sitting down on the chair to his right. 

The teacher coughed at that, his face still red, as he struggled to stand up. His voice shook as he announced, "Aa...yes, well...ummm-I...ah...open your books...to, ah...page 46..." When everyone continued to gape at Hanamichi and Rukawa, the teacher screeched out, "NOW!" And they all rummaged around for their book, the class somewhat hot for a fair weathered day. 

Hanamichi sighed and smiled at Rukawa. _I love you..._ He said through his eyes. 

Rukawa smiled and thought back. _I love you too..._

The two of them shared a secret smile before they too took out their books, all the while smiling and giving each other silent messages. Hanamichi turned to look at his book and said a silent prayer. _Thank you for making my wish come true..._ Then, out of the blue, he heard a faint chuckle as someone vaguely familiar whispered in his ear, 

_"You're welcome."_

* * * * * * 

Sendoh and Koshino peered over Satan's shoulder as he watched his son and the redhead listen to their teacher, all the while passing notes to each other. Satan grunted and shook his head. "What's done is done." 

Sendoh grinned at him as he draped an arm over Koshino's shoulder. "Aren't you going to try to get Kaede back?" 

Satan smiled grudgingly at that. "Kaede and Hisashi are mortals now. It was the result of that boy's wish. Whatever the bride of the underworld wishes, we cannot go against it." 

Sendoh shrugged playfully. "Heh! It's not like you want to break them up, do you?" When Satan remained silent at that, Sendoh shrugged and created a portal, dragging Koshino with him. When the portal was about to close, Sendoh stuck his head out and added, "Besides, you're starting to like that redhead, right?" With that, Sendoh disappeared together with Koshino back to the Underworld. 

Satan snorted at Sendoh's tone and turned away, floating in stealth mode towards an unknown area. "Hmph! To fall for a human being is the last thing on my mind." Then, he saw the cemetery at the far end of the town and went there, a sense of peace settling over his heart. When he moved among the tombstones, he shook his head again. "It's really stupid to fall for a human being...they don't last, and when they die, you will be all alone." With that, he stopped at one tombstone and read the inscription: 

Ayumi Fujiwara  
January 1 - April 1

Satan knelt down on the grass, still in stealth mode, as he traced the outline of the tombstone with a finger, his gaze softening. "I tried to spare Kaede from the pain he would feel if he loved a mortal, but..." He shook his head, smiling at the ironic thought that passed through his brain. "I guess Kaede couldn't help falling for one, could he, Yumi? After all, his father also fell for one. Plus, the results of that redhead's wish were an added bonus." 

When he said that, the trees rustled with the wind, and Satan was forced to look up to the sky. His eyes widened when he saw the figure of an angel pass over his head, but when he blinked, the image quickly disappeared. He stared at the area for a while, a look of wonder settling over his face, but then, he smiled softly as he stood up. He gazed down at his wife's tombstone and whispered, 

"I love you, Yumi. Rest in peace." 

With that, he got off the ground, fixed his coat, and opened a portal to the Underworld. When he disappeared, an angel came around from the other end of the tombstone and smiled warmly at the place where Satan last stood. She touched the ground and whispered into the air, "I love you too..." Then, she too turned around and disappeared into thin air, leaving a sense of peace over that part of the cemetery. 

**OWARI**

Camry: Hey, hey, hey!!!! Don't stop here!! Look at the SECOND epilogue! ^_^ Oh! And please review this one. Thanks! 


	28. Epilogue II

Title: The Tensai's Devil  
Author: Crystal Arie  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. 

**The Tensai's Devil  
Epilogue II**

Hanamichi smiled happily as he walked down the shoreline of the beach as he took in everything; the wind blowing against his body soothingly, the sun barely setting over the horizon, and the touch of the cool water against his bare feet...everything seemed perfect. He watched as a seagull swooped down from the sky towards the ocean, a small laugh coming out of his mouth when he saw that instead of getting something to eat, it got wet because of the wave. When he was about to divert his attention to something else, he felt two strong arms encircle his waist, a warm chest against his back, and he smiled as he leaned back comfortably against his lovers frame, feeling as if he was the luckiest man on Earth. 

After their quite "unforgettable" reunion in the classroom on that day, everyone around the entire campus practically heard that Hanamichi Sakuragi kissed another BOY named Kaede Rukawa. They couldn't believe it. Then, there was another strange rumor that Kiminobu Kogure didn't appear during the first two subject, but when it was recess, a student saw him come out of the bathroom looking flushed but nonetheless, pleased. And right behind him was a MAN named Hisashi Mitsui, who happened to be the cousin of Kaede Rukawa. The students and teachers were dumbfounded, but the 4 boys were oblivious to this. 

Hanamichi and Rukawa met up with Kogure and Hisashi when it was lunchtime. Hanamichi wasn't able to go to Kogure during recess because Rukawa dragged him into the basketball court and made out for what seemed like 20 minutes, then, they talked as they sat on the ground, their fingers intertwined. 

Hanamichi was glad. It seemed like his wish really came true. Everything was _right_. Rukawa and Mitsui became mortals, making both Kogure and Hanamichi happy to the core. Satan couldn't disturb their lives anymore because whatever the true bride of Rukawa decides, that's how it'll stay. Also, he was okay with the results. Death didn't die, as Hanamichi expected. After all, how can anyone kill Death? He is still in the Underworld, taking a break from the battle that occurred two days ago. He too said that he'll not interfere with their lives. Sendoh and Koshino are still demons, but they often visit the gang in Earth when they have nothing to do. Hanamichi didn't mind. The more the merrier, right? 

And now, exactly a month later, they were on a vacation. Sendoh and Koshino were somewhere in the hotel they were staying in, probably taking a shower together or something. Mitsui and Kogure were still in their hotel room. Hanamichi wanted to invite them out for a stroll, but when he heard a certain noise that vaguely sounded like a moan come from inside the room, he decided not to bother them. 

So now here he was, walking on the soft sand of one of the most beautiful beaches of Japan with Rukawa holding him to his chest. Hanamichi tilted his head back and smiled as he watched the sun slowly sink. He whispered silently, "I love you." 

Rukawa smiled back and hugged his beautiful redhead even tighter. "I love you too." Then, he smirked and gently nibbled on Hanamichi's ear. "But I think I want to show you how much I love you instead of just saying it." 

Hanamichi blushed at what Rukawa meant. "You're crazy. We just did it a while ago." 

Rukawa shrugged and licked Hanamichi's neck. "Yeah, 30 minutes ago. That was a long time ago." 

Hanamichi laughed. "No, it was not." 

"Oh yes, it was." 

"Oh no, it wasn't." 

"Oh yes, it was." 

"No, it wasn't." 

"Do you plan on arguing with me again?" 

"So what if I do?" 

"You know that I always win." 

"Teme, Kitsune! You don't _always_ win." 

"Oh yes, I do." 

Hanamichi snorted at that and turned his head away. "Hah! I'd like to see you prove it." Just as the words left his mouth, he instantly regretted it. But it was too late. Rukawa tackled him from behind, sent them both falling into the water, and when they both came up for air, Hanamichi was sputtering. When he got the water out of his eyes, he gave Rukawa a heated look. "Baka! I almost drowned!" 

"The word is 'almost'." Rukawa settled his body over Hanamichi's and leaned in until Hanamichi's head was against the edge of the shore, while their bodies were still being hit by the waves. Rukawa started kissing his way from Hanamichi's neck to his lips. "Say that you want me." He whispered huskily. 

Hanamichi moaned at the assault, but answered, "No..." 

Rukawa shrugged and bent down again. "Oh well, guess we'll have to spend a long time here before you admit it." With that, he kissed Hanamichi hotly on the lips as one of his hands went under Hanamichi's shirt and traveled over the flat planes of his body. The other held Hanamichi's hands over his head to refrain the redhead from doing anything. 

Hanamichi groaned when he felt Rukawa move his hand lower to unbutton his jeans. He broke his hands free form Rukawa's hold and held Rukawa's face, claiming those lips as his own. He saw Rukawa give a small grin at his action before returning to his ministrations. Hanamichi moaned against Rukawa's mouth, Rukawa gasped as Hanamichi held him tightly- 

-And both of them were covered by a particularly large wave. 

Hanamichi and Rukawa popped out from the water, both of them having astounded and shocked looks on their faces. When they gazed at each other for a while, they slowly smiled and burst out laughing, holding each other close as they moved away towards the shore. When they were far away from the sea, Hanamichi sat in between Rukawa's legs and held one of Rukawa's long, tapered hands in his own. Rukawa place his head on top of Hanamichi's and sighed, burying his nose in the mass of red hair. Together, they watched the sun disappear and the stars come out. 

Hanamichi looked up at the very first star that appeared and pointed at it. "Ne, Kaede, mite, mite." When Rukawa lifted his gaze to the heavens, Hanamichi smiled and asked curiously, "It's the first star. What do you wish for?" 

Rukawa smiled at that and nuzzled against Hanamichi's neck. "You first." 

Hanamichi grinned and kissed Rukawa on the cheek. "I already got my wish. It's your turn." 

Rukawa shook his head and sighed. "I already got my wish too." 

Hanamichi smiled at that and leaned back against his warm lover, a content look on his face. "Are you happy with the results?" 

Rukawa took Hanamichi's chin in his hand and brought his lips down towards the redhead's, his arms tightening their hold around the his lover. Hanamichi sighed happily and kissed the raven haired man back as he felt his heart jump. When they both parted, though the tip of their lips were still touching each others, Hanamichi smiled lovingly at Rukawa and weaved his fingers through the soft hair. "I really love you, you know that?" 

Rukawa held Hanamichi's cheek in his palm and kissed the redhead's forehead softly. "I do." 

Hanamichi sighed and snuggled against Rukawa's neck, contented with the answer. After a while, he felt Rukawa shift and move back slightly, as if searching for something. He looked up at his lover curiously and asked, "What are you doing?" 

"Something." Rukawa continued to shuffle around, his right hand digging into his right jean pocket. 

Hanamichi eyed Rukawa's hand and narrowed his eyes. "Something?" Then, before he could do anything, Rukawa place his left hand over his eyes as he pulled the redhead back against his chest. Hanamichi gasped and struggled against Rukawa as he tried to pry the fingers off his face. "Teme! Rukawa! What the hell are you doing?!" When he didn't get any answer, he kicked furiously. "Oi! If you're planning on doing _it_ here, you are in-" But he couldn't finish his sentence. At the exact same time he was making his threat, Rukawa's hand released its hold on his face, and he stared eye to eye with a gold band ring with a diamond embedded at the center. He fell silent. 

Rukawa smiled at Hanamichi's expression and whispered, "Do you like it?" 

Hanamichi stared uncertainly at the ring for a while, his breathing slightly off. Then, he lifted his face up to look at Rukawa's in question. "Kitsune...what...?" 

Rukawa smiled and took Hanamichi's left hand in his own left hand as his right hand moved from its position. Rukawa kissed Hanamichi's cheek. "I figured that since we both loved each other and want to be together for the rest of our lives, why not get married?" He moved the band of the ring slightly downwards and Hanamichi's eyes widened when he saw the inscription inside. 

_I'll always love you...Hana. _

Tears gathered in Hanamichi's eyes as he read those words. His shoulders shook as he tried to control himself. "Kaede..." 

Rukawa smiled and gently place the ring in Hanamichi's ring finger. "Will you be mine forever, Hana?" He asked softly as he fitted the ring on the end of Hanamichi's finger. Then, he lifted the hand up and kissed the ring, his eyes shining. 

Hanamichi turned from his position and hugged Rukawa lovingly, tears streaming down his face as he murmured over and over again, "Yes, yes, yes..." Then, he buried his face in Rukawa's neck and stayed there, his tears and smile becoming one. He held on to Rukawa, wanting to say everything that was currently passing through his mind, but he couldn't. He was too happy to speak. He grasped Rukawa tightly and cried out his happiness. 

Rukawa held his beautiful lover against his body and closed his eyes as he place his nose against Hanamichi's own shoulder. _My Hana...my beautiful Hana..._ He looked at the ring on Hanamichi's finger and smiled in joy as he kissed his lovers shoulder blade. "Hana..." 

Hanamichi backed away from Rukawa's neck and gazed up at the raven haired man's face. "Kaede..." 

Together, both shared a loving smile before their lips met in a passionate kiss. 

_Aishiteru._

**OWARI**

Camry: Wai!!! I'm done!!! *Throws confetti around herself as she screams like nuts* Horay!!!!! I'm done!!! Wai!!! *cough!* Anyway, REVIEW please! Oh, and if you guys want a sequel or something to this, REVIEW it! Arigatou! I LOVE YOU GUYS! And thanks for all your support! Ja! ^_^ 


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